


Into the Void

by DarkestAnti



Category: Antisepticeye - Fandom, Darkiplier - Fandom, Madpat, MatPat - Fandom, jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom, youtuber
Genre: AU, Gore, Oc is put through some shit, Other, Psychological Torture, This is more a horror story, Torture, anti and dark might grow to be soft boi, maybe not, might put wilford in later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:35:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 42,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26065084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkestAnti/pseuds/DarkestAnti
Summary: Mark's best friends, Bri and Séan come to stay at his house for a few weeks. Not even a day into their visit and both Dark and Anti start to terrorise Bri. What could they possibly want with her and will it end badly for all three of them?
Kudos: 1





	1. Vacation!!

**Author's Note:**

> This story will show extreme torture. Dark and Anti are not very soft boi and I'm not sure they ever will be. Please leave a comment to let me know if you liked it.....or hated it....or even if you saw a grammatical mistake. Thanks.

“Mark Fischback! You get your ass down here right now!” I yell at the top of my lungs, slamming the front door open at the same time. Mark was supposed to pick me up at the airport an hour ago but he never showed up. I’m sure he probably got caught up in recording a video for his channel. I had texted and called him multiple times but I never got a reply back. At times, being a Youtuber’s friend can be frustrating. With a sigh I turned to go back outside and start the arduous task of bringing my bags in. Before I can put even a foot out the door, I hear a loud thunk from upstairs and then barking. 

A door slowly opens and the barking gets significantly louder. I chuckle as a fluffy golden retriever runs down the stairs, straight at me, tail wagging a mile a minute. 

“CHICA!!! How is the beautiful fluffy puppers?” I coo as I kneel down so I can give her all the love she deserves. This is my first time ever meeting her but Mark was always sending me pics and videos of her. So, I’m pretty excited to get to love on her. 

“Sorry Bri. I... um...lost track of time.” Mark’s guilty voice comes from the stairs. 

I look up and glare at him as he walks over to me. He scratches the back of his head as he gives me a sheepish grin. ” You’re lucky that Chica is sooo adorable. Otherwise you would be in so much trouble! All you had to do was say you got held up. I would have understood, you ass!!” I huff at him and go to grab my bags. 

“So, are you saying I’m not adorable?” he gives me a fake pout as he throws his arm around my shoulder.” Not when you leave me hanging at the airport with not even a call.” I laugh as I hip bump him causing him to stumble. I never could stay mad at him for long. His antics made me laugh too much for that.  
  
“Well since I’m off to such a bad start as a host. I’ll get your bags. “He grabs my two suitcases while I grab the smaller duffel bag. 

  
Mark and I have been best friends since we were kids. We were neighbors when he lived in Ohio and became inseparable. We stayed super close until he moved to LA and I stayed in Ohio. We texted and video chatted all the time but it was never the same as being in person. When my boyfriend of 3 years broke up with me, I was absolutely devastated. 

  
We were a month away from getting married. I had come home from work and realized all his stuff was gone. No note. Nothing. I locked myself in my apartment for over a week and just layed in bed. I didn’t eat. I barely slept. I cut contact with everyone. I was numb to everything and I did nothing to stop myself from spiraling faster and faster down into the abyss of nothingness. 

  
I guess Mark and his girlfriend, Amy got worried because the next thing I know, Mark is banging on my door early one morning hollering at me to open my damn door. I’m not sure who was more shocked. Me, at their sudden appearance or them, at my disastrous looks. 

  
Two hours later and I’ve had my first shower and meal in who knows how long. They sat with me and let me cry on their shoulder for as long as I needed. Well Amy did. Mark just sat on the couch looking super uncomfortable and trying super hard to cheer me up. After a while Mark’s joking nature started to cheer me up and Amy joined in, talking about all the antics their friends had gotten up to. It was almost midnight when I finally had them convinced that I was feeling tons better. Before they left Amy had managed to get a promise out of me that I would come to LA and stay for an undefined amount of time.  
  
I was hoping I could get away with only a few days but Amy wouldn’t hear anything of it and told me to pack for at least two weeks. Guess I really worried them if they wanted to keep me for that long. That was the reason why one short month later, I was hauling my things into their house. 

  
I follow Mark upstairs to the guest bedroom and threw my bag on the bed. Next thing I know Mark has me in a giant hug. I tense at first but quickly relax into it. ” I’m so glad you came Bri. I’ve been worried about you. I was afraid you might bail on me last minute.” His voice is thick with emotions as he puts his chin on my head.  
  
I shrug as I fight not to cry. ” I thought about it a million times but in the end, I knew it would do me some good. Plus, I just plain missed you. Your videos just don’t do the real you justice.” I pull myself out of the hug and look around as I realize someone is missing. “Where is Amy at? I thought she was gonna be here.”  
  
“Oh, she went on a girl’s trip with Sean’s girlfriend. They wanted some time to bond over girl things. They didn’t say how long they would be gone but I’m sure they’ll be back before you leave. “He gives me a mischievous grin. “That means you’re stuck with me for who knows how long.”  
  
I start laughing like a maniac as I think of all the pranks, I can pull on Mark without retribution from both of them. “OH no. That means you’ll be stuck with ME. Now what’s a girl gotta do to get some food around this joint?” I rub my hands together and lick my lips as I think about eating real food.  
  
He grumbles jokingly about not signing up to be my personal chef as he makes his way to the kitchen. I’m just about to follow when I notice a weird, flickering shadow flit across the doorframe. I look around the room to see what might have caused it but don’t see anything. 

I must be really tired; I think as I shake my head and continue on my way to the kitchen. 

  
“Here’s the thing. I’ve been so busy trying to get videos done, so I can spend time with you, that I forgot to make a trip to the store. I’ve got stuff to make sandwiches or we can order out?“ He is definitely not guilty as he tells me this. I’m pretty sure he is using me as an excuse to get fast food by the smile on his face.  
  
“Damn Mark. You act like I showed up out of the blue instead of planning this visit for a month. Sandwiches will be just fine with me.” I laugh as I push past him towards the fridge. Mark is helping me get all the stuff together when there is a knock at the door. Chica instantly starts barking and makes a beeline for the door. Mark looks at me very quickly with a super not guilty look. The look on his face has me instantly on guard.  
  
“Bri, please don’t be mad but I might have told Sean that you are gonna be staying with me and that you are a huge fan of his. I talk about you all the time to him and he wanted to meet you. His girlfriend is on that trip with Amy so he is also gonna be staying here for a bit.” That shithead was dead. His fans are going to be so pissed cause I am about to murder this man.  
  
I don’t know how my body did it but it felt like all the blood in my face went straight to my cheeks. I’m a very shy person when it comes to anyone that might even be remotely famous. My anxiety goes into overdrive especially since I might have a small celebrity crush on the Youtuber known as Jacksepticeye.  
  
“YOU FUCKING DID WHAT?!?!” I’m sure if my voice was an octave higher, I could have shattered glass. Mark is laughing his ass off at my reaction and starts walking towards the door. “DON’T YOU DARE OPEN THAT FUCKING DOOR!” I shriek in absolute panic. 

That asshat is laughing so hard at this point that he has to lean against the wall to steady himself. Sean is apparently tired of waiting for Mark and decides to let himself in. ”OI! Ya gobshyte going ta let me stand outside all day?” Sean makes eye contact with me as he says this before an unopened loaf of bread hits him directly in the face.  
  
In my panic my fight instincts kicked in and I threw the 1st thing my hands came across. Luckily for Sean it just happened to be bread. Then my flight instincts kick in. I give a horrified shriek and I hightail it into my room with Mark’s laughter following me the entire way. I close the door shut and rip the blanket off the bed. I then proceed to go to the closet, open the door, wrap the blanket around me and hide in the closet with the door shut. 

I will become one with the Darkness if it’s the last thing I do. 

I’m only in the closet for about 10 minutes before Mark finds me. I’m no longer freaking out but now the embarrassment is kicking into overdrive. ” I live in this closet now. I can never leave. It is my home.” I groan into the blanket.  
  
“That was the funniest shit I’ve ever seen. My only regret is that I wasn’t recording it.” He chuckles as he pulls the blanket off my head. “You planning on hiding in here forever? I mean, it wasn’t as bad as the time you met Daniel Cudmore.” I groan even harder before I look up at him. “The difference between then and now is that Daniel didn’t get A FACE FULL OF BREAD! This is the most embarrassing thing ever. I can never face him now. I hate you so much right now. This entire thing is your fault.” I can only facepalm as my cheeks start heating up again. Mark chuckles as he shakes his head.  
  
He briefly glances at the doorway and then back at me. He flops onto the floor just outside the closet door. “Sean thought it was funny...Well once he got over the shock that is. Come onnnnn. He came all this way from Ireland just to meet one of my best friends. He can’t do that if you hide away in here. He’s just a regular dude that also happens to be a Youtuber. You’ll never get over that weird celebrity shyness you have if you don’t talk to him.” he starts trying to yank the blanket off me.  
  
“Ugh. Why do you have to bring logic into this? I can’t help it if my stupid brain has to spazz out. Give me a few minutes to gather my courage. If I’m not downstairs in 15 minutes then you can come get me like the barbarian you are.” I laugh and try to yank the blanket back.  
  
“You are such a chicken shit, I swear.” He smiles and stands up. Before I can do anything else, he yanks the blanket super hard. It jerks me partially out of the closet and I fall out, laying on my side. There is a familiar laugh close to the bedroom door that is neither mine or Mark’s. I immediately tense up and look at the doorway. Those blue eyes are the first thing I see. I don’t notice many other details except that cute Irish boi smile. Then I realize that Sean is standing in the doorway. Looking at me. I dive back into the closet while simultaneously yanking the blanket back in with me. I slam the closet door shut and not even a second later Sean and Mark are laughing hysterically.  
  
Yuck it up you assholes. I don’t respond as I am now busy with trying to make the floor more comfortable with the blanket. ” You have to come out eventually Bri. You can’t stay in there all day.” His voice gets farther away as he talks.  
  
“I just need some time! Go play some video games or whatever shit you guys do together!!! I yell back at him. 

There was no way in hell I was ever leaving this closet while Sean was here. I guess it’s a good thing my phone is fully charged cause I’m going to need something to do in here. I get on YouTube and start watching my Darkiplier/Antisepticeye playlist.  
I love Mark like a brother and would never be able to think of him any other way but when he made that first video going full Darkiplier…. I wasn’t able to FaceTime him for two weeks because I would instantly think of Dark and start blushing. The first time I saw Anti’s full appearance I completely fangirled. I must have watched the video on repeat a million times. What can I say? I love my bad boys.  
I’m not sure how long I stay in the closet watching the videos but I feel myself start to get tired. I’m fighting sleep and losing badly. I’m just about to conk out when I feel a hand gently caress my cheek. 

“You’ll do just fine.” a voice whispers to me as I fall unconscious.


	2. Haunted House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story will show extreme torture. Dark and Anti are not very soft boi and I'm not sure they ever will be. Please leave a comment to let me know if you liked it.....or hated it....or even if you saw a grammatical mistake. Thanks.

I am abruptly awakened by an annoying poking in my side. I groan a bit and try to slap the annoyance away. The poking in my side stops but now there is a finger poking my cheek nonstop. 

“Okay. I’m up. Just stop poking me with that infernal finger before I bite it off.” At that moment maniacal laughter echoes in the closet. “Anti?” I’m still half asleep when I open my eyes. Beautiful blue eyes are looking straight into mine. 

“Ha-ha. Still half asleep are ya?” Sean chuckles as I scramble for my phone. My cheeks are on fire the moment I hear his cute Irish boi accent. After scrambling for what seems like hours, I finally manage to turn the video off. “Yeah I guess I am. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I must have been super tired from the flight.” I mumble as I try not to freak out again. Sitting up I look over at Sean and realize he is sitting on the floor. He must have seen my confusion because he scoots back a bit. “I figured if I was sitting on the floor ya might not throw another loaf of bread at me.” 

“Mark is never going to let me live that down. When I die it will read. Here lies Bri. She threw a loaf of bread at Sean’s face. Sorry about that, by the way. My body went into panic mode and decided to attack?” Sean just laughs at me and starts to stand up. 

“Neither of us will. I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes a commemorative video and tells his fans about all of this. I’m just glad it was soft.” Sean smirks and holds a hand out to me. I hesitate very briefly before taking his hand. With a quick tug, Sean has me out of the closet and on my feet. Huh. Sean is a lot taller than I realized. I mean, I didn’t think he was super short but I thought he was my height. I’m 5’7” so I’m not exactly short either, but he seems to be about the same height as Mark. 

I stretch for a minute, trying to work the kinks out from sleeping in the closet. Sean walks over to the door to give me a bit of space. Which I very much appreciate. I can’t hear the conniving bastard anywhere and that makes me very concerned. That means he could be plotting my next humiliating moment. 

“You know he did that on purpose, right?” My question seems to confuse him. He cocks his head slightly with a questioning look. “He knows I’m a spazz, so Mark waited to tell me you were gonna stay here, at the second, just to see what happened. Though I don’t think it went down exactly as he expected.” 

We stare at each other for a moment before we both start to laugh. It takes a few seconds for us to calm down. “That does sound like something he would do. He told me you were staying here for a while, but he didn’t warn me that I would have to watch out for flying objects!” 

“Exactly! I’m sure he’s hiding somewhere plotting his next big prank.” 

“I don’t think so? He told me he had to finish recording. I figured the least I could do was make you lunch, since it looks like I interrupted the two of you. That’s why I came looking for ya.” Sean looks so adorable when he blushes. It’s only a slight tinge, but it stands out on his pale skin. It gives me some ideas for a prank or two, in the future. “I don’t think I like the look on your face. That’s the kind of look that Mark has when he is up to something.” He backs into the hallway with his hands up, as if I might attack him. 

I give him an innocent smile as I follow him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m just going to the kitchen.” 

“Uh huh. Yeah we’ll just see about that.” We joke the entire way to the kitchen, my anxiety all but forgotten. 

My eyes must be playing tricks on me because as Sean passes a mirror in the hallway, his reflection seems to flicker. For a second it looks like Anti, green hair and all. Very strange because he hasn’t dyed his hair in forever. His hair is his natural brown color.   
What in the actual fuck is going on with me today? It must be because I fell asleep watching those videos. I’m starting to doubt my sanity. I’ll have to lay off the Dark\Anti obsession for a while. Otherwise someone might try to commit me to a nuthouse. 

“Bri? Ye ok over there?” My head snaps to the kitchen, where Sean is standing by the island. I realize I’m just standing in front of the mirror. I take one last look into it but all I see is me. “Um. Yeah. For a minute I thought I saw….” I shake my head realizing how crazy I would sound if I finished that sentence. “Nothing. Never mind.” I smile when I walk over and see a plate with a couple sandwiches on it. 

“If yer sure.” He returns my smile and pushes the plate towards me. There is a flash of some emotion in his eyes before it disappears. Worry? Concern? I shrug it off and go rummage in the fridge for something to drink. Cans of Mountain Dew are sitting on the bottom level. Ah, my sweet addiction. Mark makes fun of me all the time because I usually have one with me. Yeah, it’s bad to drink if as much as I do but I really don’t care. 

“So, any idea on how long Mark is gonna be holed up there?” I start digging into one of the sandwiches. Sean looks up from his phone and laughs. “How do you feel about being on camera?” 

“What?” 

“I said how do you feel about being on camera?” Sean puts his hands on his hips, giving me a giant smile. “Um...Ok, I guess? Why?” I have no idea what’s going through his head, so I’m just going to roll with it. 

“Great! Mark’s getting everything ready now, but in 20 minutes all his fans are goin ta know we are staying here. You’re going to make your first appearance on the channel!” He is so enthusiastic about this that it’s hard to say no to him. “It’ll be great! All ye’ll have to do is say hi. Mark probably won’t start recording until we get in the room. So, hurry up and eat. I’m goin ta see if Mark needs any help setting up.” He slaps my back and is practically bouncing as he leaves the kitchen. I watch the mirror as he walks past it but nothing weird happens. 

"I really, really, really need to lay off those videos. They’re making me hallucinate. Either that or the flight messed me up more than I thought. I sigh and start thinking about this new development that Mark has thrown at me unexpectedly. I should have known Mark would have more than one trick up his sleeve. First it was Sean and now it’s getting me on camera. I really am going to murder him. Slowly. Like maybe Criminal Minds style. Munching on the sandwiches, I start scheming at ways to get back at Mark. I’m just finishing the second sandwich when my phone goes off. 

Mark: Hey, you finished yet?   
Bri: Just finished. Why?   
Mark: We have everything set up. We’re just about ready for you to come in.   
Bri: Give me 10 min. Let me brush my raggedy ass hair and maybe put on a new top.   
Mark: Let me know when you’re done. 

I put my plate in the sink and grab my drink. Rushing upstairs, I hear laughter coming from down the hall. Sounds like the guys are having fun. When I get to the guest bedroom, I immediately start looking in the duffel bag for my brush. It only takes a few seconds to find it. My hair is short, black with forest green highlights thrown in here and there. It doesn’t take very long to get it thrown up in a high ponytail. 

Next, I rummage through the suitcases until I find my Loki shirt. I head to the bathroom to make sure I look semi decent. The hairs on the back of my neck starts standing up and I get the creepy sensation that somebody is watching me. The mirror doesn’t show anything but I look around me, because I be paranoid like that. There’s really nothing in here with me but the sensation only gets stronger. 

“Back off ya spooky bitch!” I sort of whisper/shout in the bathroom. I still can’t find anything here, but it never hurts to set boundaries, in case of, you know…. ghosts. That weird feeling fades away and I feel like I can breathe again.   
Well, that’s not terrifying, at all. I check the mirror one last time, grab my drink, and head to Mark’s recording room. I can hear Sean’s voice but can’t make out what he is saying. 

Bri: Yo. I’m outside the door.   
Mark: Come on in. 

“What’s happenin Cap’n?” I saunter into the room and see Mark and Sean, sitting at the desk that’s along the far wall. They both turn to look at me with a little smirk. There is an extra chair by Mark that I head towards. 

“Hey guys!! I know you thought Sean was he surprise guest and he is, but I have someone else I want to introduce you to. This is my best friend, Bri. We grew up in Cincinnati and she has finally decided to come for a visit.: Mark laughs into the camera as I give him a push. 

“Hardy har har. It’s not my fault you moved so far away, you little shit. Keep it up and I’ll start posting pics. You thought the Septiplier ship had sailed before? It’ll be 20 times worse once I send these bad boys out into the world.” Mark starts groaning while Sean holds his hands up. 

“Whoa. Whoa. Hold it there. Don’t bring me into the equation. I didn’t do anything. I’m pretty sure that ship doesn’t need any more references.” We giggle and I start looking at the screens in front of me. 

One monitor has a bunch of technical stuff up along with a box showing the three of us. Another screen has a chat box that seems to be really active. Comments are flying by so fast that it’s really hard to read, though one reoccurring word catches my eye. Checking my phone really quickly, my suspicion is confirmed. “Hey, so I have a question I need to ask everyone watching.” I stand and get behind Mark. I place my hands on his shoulders and start squeezing. Not enough to hurt but enough for me to feel him tense a little. “How mad would y’all be if I murdered our Markimoo here? I was under the impression I would be on a video, not walking into a Live stream.” 

I give Sean a smirk that instantly puts him on guard.” Neither did Sean. I’m thinking that they might need to beg for forgiveness.” 

“He told me not to tell you!!” Sean instantly points his finger at Mark, while laughing. “I’m too adorable to be murdered, plus I was afraid if I told you, you wouldn’t show up and then people would think I was crazy.” Mark leans his head back giving me puppy dog eyes. 

“Fineeeeeee. I won’t murder you, but you have to give me one amazing Septiplier picture in exchange. I’ll be taking the picture so I can post it later and you won’t be able to delete it.” I ruffle the hair on his head as I get back to my seat. They both give a big dramatic groan. “Now do you see why I wanted her to show up, though I am slightly regretting it.” His gestures get wilder the more animated he gets. It’s all I can do not to rub my hands together and cackle like a witch. The comments are all about Septiplier now and I just point at the screen. Now you guys have to do it. The fans demand this sacrifice.” 

The stream goes on like this for a few hours. The three of us crack jokes and play a few games together. I watch the chat and answer the questions I can catch. Sometimes they are about me but a lot are about Mark and Sean. Most of those are just about wanting a shout out from the guys. 

It’s about 6pm when I finally have to call it quits. Even with the nap I had, I was tired. “Alright everyone, I enjoyed being here with you guys, far more than I thought I would but I’m outta here. It was my first time going across the country and my body is yelling at me for it.” I wave my hand at the camera and try to suppress a yawn. Mark and Sean make cute little pouts and give a fake sigh. “Aww, well, if you must. Everyone give Bri a round of applause. She is a natural in front of the camera. I might even have her join in some of my other videos.” 

I take a bow and walk sluggishly towards the door. As I open the door, I feel a hand gently lay itself on my shoulder. I throw an elbow back thinking it’s Mark but I don’t make contact with anything. I quickly turn around and make karate chopping motions but no one is near me. The guys are still at the desk. Sean looks back at me and starts laughing. “What the fuck are ye doin? I thought ye were leavin?”   
I do a few more karate chops, just to be funny, before I straighten up. “I’m pretty sure a spider tried to attack me; I’m showing it who’s boss. I doubt it will ever try that again, now that it knows I have mad skills.” Mark and Sean laugh and go back to what they are doing. I continue on my way out severely freaked out. Chica is laying just outside the door and when she sees me come out, she starts wagging her tail. 

“Who’s a good girl? That’s right, you are the bestest doggo in the world!” I love on her a bit and then pat my leg to get her to follow. “Come on girl. Let’s go outside for a bit. This house is being a spoopy bitch and I don’t like being inside a horror game.” 

We make it outside without an incident. I immediately go flop in the grass on my stomach. I’ve been here less than 24 hours and I’ve seen some weird shit in the house. I would chalk it all up to ghosts but that doesn’t explain why I saw Anti in that mirror. I know I still haven’t been sleeping but a few hours here and there, but that shouldn’t make me be seeing things, should it? 

There is no way the egos are real. They’re just something Mark and Sean made up. I may like the concept of them, but there is no way I want to meet Anti or Dark for real. Chica comes over to me, trying to lick my face, causing me to laugh. “Alright girl. Let’s go back into the spooky house because I need some sleep. If I can…” We go inside and I go back to the guest room. I don’t even bother changing into my pj’s. I just flop into the bed, falling right to sleep 

The Darkness is alive. 

My heart is in my throat as I jerk awake. The dreams are all a blur but I vaguely remember the Darkness trying to hurt me. The bedroom is pitch black and I struggle to find my phone on the side table. After searching for what seems like hours, I finally find it and check the time. It’s only 3am, way too early to be up. 

I can’t sleep anymore so I get up to get a drink. Not sure if it’s remnant feelings from my dreams, but the darkness in the house feels alive. Almost suffocatingly so. I’m paranoid and jumpy as I walk to the kitchen. Grabbing a glass from the cabinet, I open the fridge and grab the milk. I really don’t need any sugar right now. After filling the glass, I put the milk back. That weird, creepy feeling is back and I fucking hate it so much. I quickly close the fridge and turn around, punching the air in front of me. 

“I don’t know what’s going on but I came here to get away from my life for a bit. Whatever you are, I don’t care! I haven’t even been here a day, so you need to quite with the spooky shit before I lose my damn mind!” I accentuate that with a few karate chops wildly thrown around.   
A deep sinister chuckle seems to come from all around me, making me run for the hills. I leave the milk and make a beeline for the stairs. I grab a pillow and the blanket from my bed, and run for Mark’s room. The Darkness pulses as if alive, making me a trip on the blanket. I quickly right myself and quietly enter Mark’s room. 

Mark’s bed is high enough off the ground that I can throw the pillow under the bed. I wrap myself in the blanket and slide under the bed. Like a child that knows the monster in the dark is real, I make sure every part of me is covered, including my head. This wasn’t going to be a comfortable place to lay, but I wasn’t staying in my room while this spooky stuff is going on. I was so going to talk to Mark about this in the morning. 

“It’s not real,” I mumble to myself over and over again. Every once in a while, I throw in a “Leave me alone.” It feels like forever before everything starts to feel normal again and I can fall back asleep. A precious, dreamless sleep.


	3. Is the Edge Lord hangry?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story will show extreme torture. Dark and Anti are not very soft boi and I'm not sure they ever will be. Please leave a comment to let me know if you liked it.....or hated it....or even if you saw a grammatical mistake. Thanks.

A flash of light and then a cold wet nose is in my face waking me up. The first thing I see is Chica's face staring me down. I smile at her and go to sit up, forgetting where I am. I yelp as I bash my head against the underside of Mark's bed. I rub my forehead as I put my head down. A chill goes down my spine as I remember what happened last night.

Mark would have told me if his house was haunted. He knows how I am about spooky things. That's why I can't play horror games by myself. I'm trying to convince myself that it was all just a dream when a face pops over the side. "Bri? What are you doing under my bed?"

"Haha. Yeah about that," I scoot out from underneath the bed until I can sit up properly. I'm not really sure how to explain, so I hesitate before facing him. "Um, I either had an absolutely terrible nightmare or your house is haunted as fuck."

Mark just stares me down as I pick up the pillow and blanket. He is trying very hard to remain calm, but I can tell something is wrong. "Are you telling me this place is haunted? If it is, I'm sleeping under your bed every night while I'm here. You know I can't deal with the spooky." I try to make a joke about the whole thing, but his reaction is freaking me out.

He gives me forced laugh." I think I would know if this place is haunted. I've lived here for how long? Nothing weird has ever happened to me. It must have been a really bad dream. Come on, let's get breakfast." He chuckles and starts getting up.

I head back to the guest room and throw the pillow and blanket on the bed. I close the door and start getting dressed. Well, that was strange. Mark must be trying to freak me out. Must be another prank of his. I shake my head and go to the bathroom, bumping into Sean along the way.

"Something smells amazing," I say as I walk into the kitchen. The entire kitchen smells like bacon and I see Mark making pancakes. I look over at the spot where I left my cup of milk, but it's gone. Maybe it was just a dream after all?

"Ha. I figured I should step up my game otherwise, Amy might kill me for being such a bad host." Mark turns to look at me briefly before turning back to the stove. Sean laughs at that. He pulls out a chair from the island for me.

"I can't wait to tell her that ye left Bri hanging at the airport. She'll do more than murder you." Sean smiles at me with a glint in his eyes.

"Hey, I said I was sorry. I really did get caught up in recording." Mark pouts as he starts putting pancakes onto plates. I grab mine and start drowning them in syrup. "I believe you Mark. If I didn't, you would be dead by now." All three of us laugh at that.

We all joke and tease each other throughout breakfast. Eventually talk turns into what we'll be doing for the next couple of weeks. Mark and Sean prerecorded enough videos that we'll be able to just hang out for several day, but they still want to do a few collab videos. They try their hardest to talk me into doing it with them, but I'm not sure if it's something I really want to do.

After breakfast is done and the kitchen is cleaned, we head into the living room to watch a movie. We decide to watch Avengers and make ourselves comfortable. Mark and Sean are cracking jokes about Fury, when I decide to look at the comments from the stream yesterday. I'm curious as to what people are saying about my surprise appearance.

I'm scrolling through comments and see that a lot of them seem to find me funny. People are giving timestamps of when I start my karate chop freak out, but not for the reason I'm expecting. Most people are screaming about a Darkiplier appearance and theorizing that I have something to do with it. I go to the time people are talking about and play the video.

I see myself walking towards the door when all the color in the video turns grayish. Mark and Sean are oblivious to what's happening behind them. One second, I'm alone at the door the next, a figure is behind me. The figure is taller than me and wearing a black suit. You can't tell what exactly is happening since we are so far away from the camera. There is a faint red and blue layer over the figure, as if the camera was picking up echoes of them, that are out of sync. All of a sudden, I spin around, karate chopping the place that the figure should have been.

The video goes back to normal and Sean looks back at me, laughing. I pause the video and just stare at my phone. I rewatch that part again in shock. I look up at Mark and Sean. "Guys, pause the movie a sec."

"What's up?" Sean asks as Mark pauses the movie.

"Did you do anything to the stream after it ended?" I hold up my phone as though that should be enough of an answer.

Mark just takes my phone and watches the part that I'm talking about. Sean is watching over his shoulder and the look at each other. Sean goes back to his seat and starts doing something on his phone. "Yeah, you were asleep when I got done with it, so I didn't have a chance to mention it to you. The fans have been clamoring for another appearance and it just seemed to fit in with your actions." He shrugs and hands me back my phone.

"Oh, um, ok." Something was definitely up with both of them but Mark's explanation made sense. Mark continued the movie but neither of them seemed as interested in it now. They kept looking at each other. Mark caught me staring at him a few times and every time would give me a goofy smile.

When the movie ends, both of them get up. Mark hands me the remote, looking at me weirdly. "Hey, Sean and I have to do a few videos, so you're welcome to whatever. It'll probably be a few hours before we're done so feel free to do whatever you want. I have some consoles hooked up if you want to play games." They quickly leave before I can say anything.

Something is very wrong and I was going to find out exactly what it is. I've been friends with Mark long enough to know when something is upsetting him. With all the weird things happening in this house, I was not going to be left in the dark.

I wait about 10 minutes before I put on a random movie and start sneaking upstairs. I can hear Mark and Sean arguing about something as I get to the door, but not what they are saying. Very carefully I open the door a crack and their voices flood the hallway.

"Ye need ta tell her the truth. Ye're puttin her in more danger by not sayin anything!" Sean's accent is getting thicker with every word.

"I can keep her safe! I'll make a deal with him if I have to! Besides, you don't have any room to talk. You told me you had Anti under control, but now you're saying she saw him in the mirror?"

"He's been fighting me more the past couple a weeks. I don't know what she saw bit if ye had seen her face. It was like she was waiting for something ta jump outta the mirror. I can make up an excuse and go home, but it'll be harder to explain if ye send her back when she just got here." Sean's voice softens as worry thickens his voice.

Mark sighs, "How am I supposed to explain this, Sean? Oh, hey Bri? That weird shit that you've been seeing is really Dark and Anti. Oh, you know, our alter egos, that are actually real. Not sure what they want with you, but you need to leave now.

Upon hearing this absolutely terrifying conversation, I quietly close the door. I'm damn near hyperventilating as I run through the house and out the back door. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck What do I do with this? They be hot, but if the videos are anything to go by, they also be outrageously dangerous and not worth it.

My breathing is erratic as I panic. I start walking around a tree, counting my steps, to calm myself. It won't do any good if all of us are freaking out.

If this is actually real, then what could Dark want with me? I haven't seen Mark in person in so long. I don't live close by. There was no real advantage to going after me.

I must have done something absolutely terrible in my past life for me to get this much bad luck in one lifetime. Couldn't even make it one day without something shitty coming up. My panic is gone but I'm far from calm. I put my back to the tree and sit down.

I can hear an occasional shout from the boys but for the most part the house is silent. I sigh and think about my options. If I run now, I will always be looking over my shoulders. Not to mention I'll never forgive myself for taking the coward's way out.

I feel something caress my arm, but when I look, there is nothing near me. I decide to trust my gut and start talking. Either he is there or I'm crazy and I'll just be talking to myself. I lean my head back against the tree and try to look as non challant as possible.

"Are they still arguing about how to deal with you two, or are they actually recording now?" Silence fills the air and seems to last for eternity. I stare at the ground for a few moments. "It's rude to ignore someone when they're talking to you. I thought you had better manners than that, Darkiplier?" A cold breeze rushes by, and the world starts to take on a gray tinge.

I look up at the sound of slow clapping. "Well, well, well. Look who has found her courage. I wonder what could have changed that?" Dark puts his arms behind his back and smirks. He looks exactly as he'd in all of Mark's videos, down to the slight echoes, that spasm at odd times. He cracks his neck and looks down at me, only a few steps away.

"I thought it was a ghost haunting Mark's house. I tend to be a chicken when it comes to things like that. You, on the other hand, don't terrify me. I know who you are and that takes away the fear factor." I stare him down as I stand up and lean against the tree. "Now, are you going to answer my question?"

"If that's what you were planning, you would have done it already. Instead, you're being a dramatic bitch and trying to scare me. Now knock it off and answer the question or I'm going inside." I poke him in the chest to show I'm not afraid of him.

Dark stares at me for a moment and then takes a few steps back. "They are indeed recording. I expect they won't be done for some time." I sigh in relief. I really didn't want them to come looking for me while Dark is still here. Who knows what would happen?

"So, why are you harassing me? Is it because I'm here and you like freaking out Mark?" I cross my arms and try to ignore the shadows that are gently tugging at my clothes in different places.

"Oh Bri. I've been watching you for quite some time. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this moment. For you to finally make an appearance here. I have such big plans for you." He smiles and there is so much malicious intent in it.

It enrages me that he stands in front of me, acting so high and mighty. Trying to intimidate and threaten me, like I'm just a pawn in his stupid games. I don't even think as I step forward and slap Dark as hard as I can. "I will not be a pawn in whatever game you're playing! All I wanted was to get away from my shitty life and spend some time with my best friend, AND YOU ARE RUINING IT! Now run back to whatever hole you crawled out of and stay there!" My breathing is heavy and I stand my ground.

I am entirely unprepared when Dark quickly strikes, wrapping his hand around my neck and lifts me into the air. His hand squeezes my neck and I claw at his hand, struggling to breath.

"You have no say in what happens, little girl." Dark glares at me. I think I might have pissed him off. Oops. "I will do as I please! The more you fight me, the more pain you will incur. I applaud you for attempting to stand your ground, but I wouldn't tempt fate, if I were you." He throws me to the ground, where I stay, trying to relearn how to breath. I feel a foot on my back, pushing me into the ground, on my stomach. I struggle to get up, but Dark is far stronger than the average man.

"Two days!" I struggle to get even those words out. The pressure on my back disappears and I roll over, to find him crouched next to me. His hands are clasped together and he is looking at me with a question on his face. "Give me two days of uninterrupted hang out time with Mark and Sean, before you do anything else. I'm supposed to stay for a few weeks. That still gives you plenty of time to do your spooky act. That also includes Anti. Tell him to stop fighting Sean until the two days are up."

That dick had the nerve to laugh. A full throated, throw your head back, kind of laugh. "Trying to make a deal are we? You can't make a deal if you hold none of the cards."

"I can just leave. Pack up all my things up and leave before the guys are done. What would happen to your precious plans if I did that? You said it yourself. You were waiting for this moment, when I came to visit Mark. Mark would understand if I left." I slowly stand up, rubbing at my sore throat.

Dark stands and looks at me as if I'm a dog that just learned a new trick. "It would appear you hold a few cards after all. If I do this, I want a few things in return. You won't tell either of them about this conversation. You won't leave before the second day is up. Last but not least, you won't fight me when the time comes."

The first two I expected but not the last. If I do this, I am essentially giving up. Sure, I can try to outsmart him, but will I be able to? I don't even know what Dark has planned. I think about it for a few minutes, but I had my choice the moment Dark had stopped talking.

"Fine. Starting tomorrow I get two days with the guys with no interference from Anti or you. After that, I'm yours." I sigh as Dark gives me one of his smiles. A smile I've only seen in a Darkiplier video. Charm oozes from him as he takes one of my hands and kisses the back of it.

"I look forward to our next encounter, Bri." He walks behind me and when I turn around, he's not there. The world is full color again and the only trace of Dark, is the pain in my throat. I take one last look around the yard and then go inside.

I head to the bathroom to make sure there's no bruising on my neck. There's no discoloration, for which I'm thankful for. I may have made a terrible decision but I've bought myself two days before the shit hits the fan. I put on a smile and head towards the recording room. I don't hear any yelling coming from the other side, so I just barge in.

I run smack dab into a chest as soon as I open the door. Quickly backing up, I see I ran into Sean. "Ope. Sorry about that. I didn't know anyone was standing next to the door." I rub my poor nose.

"Ha. That's ok. We just finished up and I was about to head downstairs. Did you need something?" Sean asks as he backs up.

"Well, I figured it's about lunchtime and was wondering if you guys like pizza? My treat." I see Mark's head swiftly turn at the sound of pizza. Sean follows me as I walk over to Mark. "That sounds like a great idea! I'll order if you buy. We can go swimming after we eat."

"Sounds like a great plan. I was ogling your pool while you guys were up here." This will also give me the chance to appreciate the fine artwork that is Sean McLoughlin. Mark is nice too, but he is like my brother. Would feel really weird to ogle him.

I run to my room to get my wallet. I find it quickly enough and rush back. Mark is already on the phone, so I just hand my card over to him. Sean is sitting on the couch in the back of the room, so I go over to him. "Hey, I'm going to go set up the living room so we can play some games while we wait. Care to join me or do you need to finish up in here?" Sean gets up and looks at his buddy for a minute. "I'm finished with my stuff. I think we're going to edit the videos tomorrow, since we already have material we can upload today. So, lead the way m'lady."

Chuckling, I make my way out to the living room. Sean gets us drinks while I hook up the ps4 and start browsing games. "Ooo. We can play Jackbox! I play it with Mark occasionally, when he does a live stream."

"I'm game. That's always a fun game to play." He sets the drinks on the table. He seems much more relaxed than before. That subtle sense of tension is gone. Dark must have been able to talk to Anti. Good, that means Dark might actually stick to the deal. Mark joins us about 5 minutes later. "Jackbox huh? Always a great pick." He flops down on top of me while Sean sits in the chair. "Geez, Mark! Haven't you heard of personal space?" I laugh and push him on to the floor. Sean starts cracking up and Mark just pouts.

"Well, yeah, but you're just so comfy." He sits on the far end of the couch and spreads out. We get the game going and play until the pizza gets here. We continue playing while we ear, all of winning a fair amount.

After lunch, we clean up and then go change into our swimsuits. After I get my swimsuit on, I put my hair into a ponytail, so my hair doesn't get in the way. As I make my way into the kitchen, I hear shouting outside. Mark and Sean are already jumping into the pool while Chica is laying under a tree in the shade.

I take a running leap towards the pool. "CANNONBALL!" I scream just before I jump in. I land in between them, causing a tidal wave to hit them both. I start laughing the moment I break the surface.

"The look on both your faces was hysterical. Just sheer terror. Did you think I was going to jump on one of you?" They are still wiping their faces. "Well, that's what it looked like from our angle!" Mark starts laughing and splashes me. The antics don't stop for a few hours. By the time we go back inside, it's 5 in the afternoon. I'm looking through the cabinets and fridge for something to fix, when a towel is placed over my head. I'm laughing and take the towel off to find Sean behind me.

"Watcha lookin for?"

"I was thinking about making tacos. I'm just checking if I have all the ingredients. Looks like someone needs to make a grocery run. Go get changed and see if Mark will go with you to the store." I start winding up the wet towel as Sean slowly backs away. He yelps and takes off running as I crack the towel in his direction. I hear him laughing as he gets farther away. I find enough beef in the fridge to make enough for the three of us. Thankfully, Mark has taco seasoning, so I don't have to wait to get the meat started. All we really need is stuff for toppings. By the time I find a pen and paper, and write down everything down we need, Sean and Mark are back.

"You don't have to cook Bri. We can always order something." Mark grabs the list from my hands and skims over it. "Oh no! I'm not eating takeout everyday while I'm here I want real food too." I waggle my finger at him. "Okay. It was just a suggestion." He chuckles.

"Are you coming with us?"

"Na. I'm going to get started on the meat. It should be done by the time you get back."

"We won't take long." They head out the door and I go upstairs to change into actual clothes.

When I get back in the kitchen, the lights start to lightly flicker. I sigh as I get skillet out and turn on the stove. "I would say it's rude to come over unannounced, but I guess this is you announcing yourself." I continue prepping everything before turning around. As I expected, Darkiplier is standing on the side of the island. The world is lightly tinged gray again. Dark is smiling and gently leaning against the island. 

"How homely. Cooking dinner as if you've always lived here." His tone is slightly condescending.

"Like I said before, I'm not eating takeout for every meal that I'm here. Are you hungry? Do you even eat?" I'd never thought about it before, but it doesn't hurt to be polite.

"I can eat but I don't need it as a sustenance." My question seems to have thrown him off. I chuckle to myself as I get something out of the freezer and throw it at him. "Yeah, well, eat a Snickers anyway. It might make you something other than a condescending bastard." Dark avoids the candy and slams his hand down.

"Do you think this is a game!! That I won't hurt you now, just because of our deal? Well, I'll let you in on a secret. Our deal doesn't start until tomorrow. I still have until midnight to do what I want with you." An echo of him screams briefly as he walks towards me. I know I should be terrified, but I just can't Instead, I focus on getting the meat into the skillet. The skillet is hot enough that the meat immediately starts sizzling. I can feel Dark glaring at me and the tension is rising.

I'm 99.99% sure he is waiting for me to break the silence. I have no idea what to say, though. He pretty much just threatened my life. How do you even respond to that? I'm going to do what I do best, and pretend he isn't even there. I get my phone out, get on YouTube, and put on my Darkiplier/Antisepticeye song playlist.

I put the volume on full blast and pro my phone against the wall, where I can watch the video. Singing along to the fan edited versions of different songs, I continue to cook. After a few songs the atmosphere seems calmer. If it wasn't for that weird, gray tinge, I would say it's because Dark has left.

I continue to sing and ignore him. The boys should, hopefully, be back soon. I'm not sure how far the store is, so they could be gone for another 30 minutes. The meat is almost done, so I turn to start looking for a strainer, and bump into Dark. My breath hitches and my heart starts racing as I look up at him. His face is neutral as he steps asides. When he's like this, you can almost forget what giant douchebag he is. I start blushing and quickly grab the stuff I need. I put a bowl in the sink and put the strainer on top.

Just ignore him. Pretend he doesn't exist and everything will go back to normal. I take a deep breath and go to grab the skillet off the stove. A mitten appears in front of my face, just as I'm about to grab the skillet. I look up at Dark but he doesn't say anything, just holds the mitt in front of me. Watching him is like watching a predator hunt its prey.

Focused.

Patient.

Entirely innerving.

"Uh, thanks." I hurriedly put the mitten on and take the skillet over to the sink. I dump the meat in the strainer and wait for the grease to drain, before putting it back in the skillet. Once on the stove, I dump in the taco seasoning and stir it up a bit. I turn the stove down so it keeps the meat warm but doesn't keep cooking it. I take a quick peak at Dark, who is still watching me, and then grab my phone. I turned my playlist off and switched it to a more classical playlist. Sure, I can't sing to these songs but he seemed to be a Mozart kinda guy.

I refuse to see what his reaction is as I put my phone on the counter. I grab a sheet tray, put the hard tacos on it, then put them in the oven, and turn the oven on. There's nothing else for me to do until the guys get back, so I go sit on a stool that's on the opposite side. Checking my phone, I see that Mark texted me saying they were on the way.

Oh, thank you so much, sweet baby jebus. I'm not sure how much more of this I can take. Two visits in one day, from a guy I didn't even know existed, has been exhausting.

"The guys will be here soon. Are you sticking around for the show or you gonna pull a disappearing act?" I stare him down and really hopes he leaves. The less time around him, the better.

"Remember the deal, Bri." Dark stares at me for a moment with his hand out. I'm about to question him, when a Snickers appears in his hand. Without another word he walks off into.... Nothingness. He just disappears.

I just give a sigh of relief as the grey tinge leaks away. "Dark, you may be hot as hell but you are so damn dramatic." I mumble to myself as I look towards the spot where the Snickers landed. Sure enough, it's gone. "Dramatic." I chuckle.

As I'm pulling out the taco shells, I hear the door open. "We're backkkk!" Sean yells out.

"Took you long enough! Thought I was gonna have to eat by myself!" I walk into the living room and see Sean and Mark struggling to get into the house.

"We did some actual shopping. Not just what was on the list." Mark huffs as a bag gets stuck on the coffee table. I squeeze past them both so I can shut the door.

"Good! Means I don't have to rely on takeout for food." I laugh as I take some of the bags from Mark. "Are there any more groceries that need brought in?"

"We are men! We bring everything in, in one trip." He huffs as though he is offended. 

"Multiple trips are for pansy's!" Sean chimes in from the kitchen.

I'm laughing as I close the front door. "Okay. I got it. I'm sorry I asked. I won't do it again."

I start pulling out the stuff for toppings and get it ready as the boys put everything else away. When we are done, we start making our plates. Dinner passes relatively quickly with our joking and seems to be over before we know it. After dinner and we clean up, I decide to say goodnight to the guys and head to bed. Yeah, it was only 8:00 by the time I got in bed, but I had an exhausting day. After taking a shower I jump into bed and turn off the light.

I'm super excited for these next two days.


	4. Is this real life or is this just Fantasy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story will show extreme torture. Dark and Anti are not very soft boi and I'm not sure they ever will be. Please leave a comment to let me know if you liked it.....or hated it....or even if you saw a grammatical mistake. Thanks.

The next two days were pure bliss. Nothing spooky happened. No weird noises or strange sights. Just pure fun with the guys. We played games and they even talked me into appearing in a few videos with them. Sean even seemed to be less tense. It surprised me that Dark had actually made good on his word. It surprised me even more that Anti never once tried to make an appearance. By the end of the second night, I had completely and utterly forgotten about Dark and the deal we had made. 

I tell the guys goodnight and snuggle into bed. The moment the lights go out, the darkness seems a little thicker than before. Paying it no mind, I fall asleep the moment my head hits the pillow. 

I am floating, well I think I am. It’s too dark to see and there is nothing for my senses to pick up on. It’s like being in a deprivation tank. I’m not sure how long I stay like that, but it seems like an eternity. The darkness seems to stretch into a never-ending abyss on all directions, until suddenly there is a small pinprick of light in the distance. The light slowly gets bigger, as I walk towards it. Finally, I’m in a room that looks oddly like the Manor from Mark’s Who Killed Markiplier video. 

What an odd dream. It seems so real. I can even feel the coolness of the metal on the armored statues. This place is exactly like the videos, almost as if reality and dream had blurred together. The entire place is deadly silent, as if waiting for me to make a specific move. It’s a harsh quiet that makes you afraid to even breath, like you might awaken something terrible if you make too much noise. I continue exploring the different rooms that I stumble across, each room exactly as I remembered it. I finally come across the shattered mirror and instead of a reflection of me, it’s my room. 

If it wasn’t for the moonlight shining in through the window, I wouldn’t be able to see into the room. As it is, I can only see a mess of hair peeking out from underneath the cover. This doesn’t alarm me. The person standing near me, just watching me sleep, is what freaks me out. I yell out and, as if they can hear me, they turn their head, looking straight at me. The only thing I can see of their face is a glowing, neon green eye. They raise their hand to their face as if to shush me. “Anti?” I whisper as he turns his head towards my sleeping body, once again. 

I start screaming and pounding at the cracked mirror. Hoping beyond hope, that I can wake myself from this dream turned nightmare. “You won’t be able to wake yourself like that. In fact, the only way you will wake is if I release you from this place.” A smooth, baritone voice comes from behind causing me to whip my body around and gasp in surprise. 

Dark stands just out of reach with his arms behind his back. If it wasn’t for the cold smile on his face, he would be devoid of emotions. He glances around briefly before looking at me. “Not the location I would have chosen, but I suppose if this makes you comfortable then it will do.” He takes a small step towards me. 

I try to back up but my back is already pressing into a table. “It’s just a dream. This isn’t real. I’m just having a nightmare.” I mumble to myself as Dark gets closer. 

“This is just as real as that afternoon under the tree. Before, I was in your world. Welcome to mine.” He chuckles as he raises his arms as though to show off a magnificent work of art. He walks dangerously close to me and reaches a hand out. I take off running towards the front door before he can touch me, his laughter following me the entire way. I can see the front door, but the hallway seems to get longer the faster I run. With a swift decision I change directions and head towards the kitchen, looking for something to use as a weapon. I’m not sure if this is a dream or not, but I wasn’t going down without a fight either way. 

I scramble around the kitchen looking for knives or any other sharp object but all I can find are pots and pans. The soft, clicking noise of heels against hardwood floor gets louder. My eyes come across a large skillet and I immediately grab it. The clicking noise gets louder and now I can hear a rich humming noise getting closer to the doorway. Positioning myself just out of site, I hold the skillet up like a one-handed baseball bat, ready to swing the moment he steps through the door. 

The humming stops as a shoulder barely comes through. Not giving him a chance to react, I take a swing at his face with all my might, only for the skillet to come around and smack me in the face. It passed through him like he was made of smoke. I fall to the ground hard, my head hitting the floor and damn near causing me to black out. The skillet clatters to the floor a little bit away, useless and forgotten, as I struggle to breath. 

I groan, my vision fading in and out, fighting not to lose consciousness completely. I can barely make out the figure crouched beside me. “I told you Bri. This is MY world and you, my little pawn, are here until I decide to let you go.” That sinister laugh is the last thing I hear, as I lose the fight and feel myself giving in to the darkness. 

A pounding in my head causes me to groan. I go to reach for my head but find that I can’t raise my arms. Jerking my eyes open, I find myself strapped to an elegant chair. My wrists are strapped tightly to the arms of the chair. My legs aren’t strapped down but that doesn’t give me much hope. The massive headache makes it hard to think clearly and the high-pitched ringing isn’t helping things, at all. A spotlight is shining down making it hard to see further out. Wisps of shadows flicker on the edges of the light, jerking back as they touch the light, almost as if it burns them. 

'I struggle against the bonds as hard as I can but they don’t even budge. The chair is too high for me to stand up, my feet not even touching the ground. 

“WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!?! LET ME GO YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!” I scream as loud as I can, struggling harder to get loose. Silence is my only response. After what seems like hours, I finally tire out and lean my head back. A sigh escapes my lips as I wonder if it’s morning yet and whether or not Mark has noticed that something is wrong. 

“Have you given up already? What a shame. I thought it would take longer to break you. Hmmm, perhaps you are not as strong as I thought.” My head shoots up as Dark’s voice echoes from the darkness. His snarky attitude causes me to glare at the direction the voice came from. “Give me a weapon and I’ll show you just how strong I can be.” I hiss. 

“That’s better. It would have been a pity if I had broken you so soon.” My breath catches in my throat as he whispers in my ear. Before I can think too hard about it, I try to bash my head against his. Hands grab my head from both sides preventing me from getting very far. Dark clicks his tongue a few times before releasing my head. It’s silent for a moment before my vision is filled with this so called man. He stares at me for just a moment before I see an idea light up his eyes. 

Taking a few steps back, he snaps his fingers and my restraints disappear. When I stand up the chair vanishes as though it never existed. My body takes off running before my brain realizes what is happening. I don’t even make it to the edge of the light, before something yanks on my ankle, causing me to fall hard on my arms. 

“Did you think you could escape me? You have no where to go. Fight as hard as you want, run as far as you can, but in here I am God.” That condescending tone was really starting to grate on my nerves. I ignore the would be God and focus on trying to escape instead. The only problem is that when I look at my ankle, I see tendrils of darkness writhing around it. I use my other foot to try and kick the things off, but the darkness only splits and starts sticking to that foot. 

Taking a different approach, I try to crawl away as I feel the cold, writhing darkness inch it’s way up both legs. Suddenly, my legs start to rise up and I feel myself being lifted up into the air. Dark’s laughter causes me to look over at him and I don’t stop the glare that happens. He walks over to me with a small smile on his face. I’m high enough off the ground that I am now eye level with Mr. I Think I’m Superior To Everyone Else. 

“Let. Me. Go. NOW!” Each word is punctuated by a swing of my fists. Nothing manages to make contact but it makes me feel a smidge better. More of that inky darkness shoots out from the ground, but this time it encases my arms. I’m restrained….again. Only this time I was not in a comfortable position. 

I can hear the blood rushing to my brain and with that high pitched ringing noise, it was getting harder to focus on what Dark was doing. It was hard to focus on anything, so when a hand caressed my face, I jerked in surprise. I looked at Dark with widened eyes. 

“Oh Bri. It would be so much easier if you just give in. Though, I do love a challenge.” His hand leaves a cold trail as it travels across my face and before I know it, he is grabbing a handful of hair. He jerks my head to the side causing me to gasp in pain. “We had a deal that Anti and I would leave the three of you alone in exchange for your complete cooperation. We kept our side of the bargain and yet, when I bring you to my world, you do nothing but fight me. I’ll give you one more chance to stop this…” 

“NO!!!” I scream the word before he can finish talking. I can’t just stand by idly while those two do whatever heinous acts they have concocted. I should never have made that deal. I should have told Sean and Mark about everything instead of keeping it a secret. Now my actions have come back to bite me in the ass and I don’t know if I’ll live through this. “I’ll keep fighting you until my last breath, so take your threats and shove them..”   


Pain

Blinding pain. 

I scream in absolute agony as Dark rakes claws down my arms, slowly. It felt like he was cutting me with razorblades and no matter how much I jerked and pulled, I could not get away. Blood immediately started to pool in the cuts and fall in small rivulets down my arm. “You need only to let me in and the pain can stop. Continue to fight and it will only get worse for you.” 

Dark licks the blood off his black claws, casually, as though this was just a simple afternoon at the park. He seemed to savor it, like it was a rare delicacy. “Make this easier on yourself and let me in.” 

The pain in my arms ached but it no longer makes me want to cry out. I blame the pain for my lack of common sense, “I think the fuck not, you trick ass bitch. I can do this all day.” I really do blame the pain for everything that I was saying, because it really is never a good idea to taunt someone who is, clearly, the one in control. 

“You are lucky that my plans are not time sensitive. Otherwise, this would not end well for you.” Dark growls, “As it is, you are not going to have a good time. Get used to seeing me around because I’m not going anywhere.” With those words, he slashes his claws across my stomach, making me scream. In one swift motion, he shoves his hand into my chest….. 

I shoot up in the bed, screaming as loud as my throat can stand. Sunlight is shining through the window and Mark is rushing into the room with a frightened expression on his face. “Bri! What’s wrong?” He glances around the room and relaxes a little when he sees nothing is there. “What happened? Why do you look so terrified?” 

I start sobbing uncontrollably when Mark sits down on the bed next to me. The terror of being in that place was still fresh in my mind and it still felt like Dark had his hand in my chest. I’m about to life my shirt up when Sean runs into the room. “What’s goin on?” He moves closer to the bed, causing another scream to rip itself from my throat, as I scramble off the bed to create some distance between me and the boys. 

Mark and Sean look at me with concern in their eyes. “Y..you guys just stay right there. I.I don’t wanna d..die.” I manage to say weakly. I’m having a hard time keeping reality and my dreams separate and don’t want to take any chances. When Mark and Sean don’t move, I lift my shirt up just a little, and quickly glance down, seeing faint red marks going across my stomach. There are also marks going down my arms from where Dark had clawed me. 

“Bri? What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?” Mark’s voice was full of worry as he softly spoke his questions. It was if he thought he might spook me more if he spoke any louder. Sean was content to let him do all the talking, not knowing me as well as Mark. Mark patted the bed next to where he sat, “Come on, you’re scaring me.” 

I was in full on panic mode and having a hard time getting a full breath. The room seemed to get smaller and smaller the longer I hugged the far wall. Taking a chance, I ran as fast as I could to the door. Sean reached out to grab me but just missed my arm. I could hear them calling me as I ran. Chica met me at the stairs, her tail wagging a mile a minute in a cheerful greeting but I ignored her as I flew down the stairs. Finally, in the kitchen, I start searching through draws, grabbing as many sharp knives as I can carry. 

The sunlight beckons me and I gladly make my way outside. After being trapped in the darkness for so long, bright sunshine was a welcome relief. Making my way over to one side of the fence that is drenched in sunlight, I put my back up against it and hold out a knife, ready to slash anyone that gets close. 

It doesn’t take very long for Mark, Sean, and Chica to come out into the backyard. Chica immediately runs over to me with her tail wagging a mile a minute. I let out a small sigh as I pet her with the hand not holding the knife. When Mark starts walking over to me, I tense up a bit and give out a small shriek. “Don’t get any closer! I’m not afraid to hurt you!” 

“It’s just me. I would never hurt you, Bri.” He puts his hands up but stops a few feet from me. 

“What are ye so scared of, that ye would threaten us?” Sean walks up and stands next to Mark. His eyes stay that bright blue but are so filled with alarm that it calms me down just a little. 

“You. I’m afraid of you,” Mumbling almost too low for them to hear. Feeling the sun beat on me, I realize I might be acting a tad crazy so I lower the knife onto the ground and hug Chica. She is happy with the attention and licks my face in glee. “I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.” Tears start falling again as the nightmare replays in my head again. 

My face is buried in Chica’s fur, so I jump in surprise when I feel arms wrapping themselves around me. I glance up and see it’s Mark crouched next to me in a hug. I let go of Chica and wrap myself around Mark, sobbing hysterically. Another set of arms wrap around me but I don’t bother looking up, already knowing Sean has joined the hug session. 

We stay that way until my crying slows and then finally stops. When I start to pull back, they both let me go. “Are you ok now? Mind telling me what that was all about?” Mark softly asks. 

“I’m sorry guys. I made a terrible decision and I think I made things much worse for us.” My anxiety spikes as I look at the ground, unsure of how to tell them what happened. 

“What do ye mean ‘made things worse’?” 

“I may or may not have been super selfish and made a deal with Dark. I told him I wouldn’t fight him if Anti and him left the three of us alone for a few days. He trapped me in the dark and tortured me because I wouldn’t cooperate like I said. I. I don’t know what to do now.” I keep my head down as I wait for the yelling to start. 

I get really worried when no one says anything and slowly look up. I start to hyperventilate when I see that the world is grey and there is no one to be found. Even Chica has disappeared. I walk around the yard for a moment, trying to find color in a world of grey. Slow clapping comes from behind me, making me turn around. Dark walks towards me with a nasty grin on his face. I’m completely frozen in fear as he walks towards me. 

“Quite a performance. Though, I’m not entirely surprised that you decided to break the deal completely. This was a test and you failed brilliantly. I’m glad I didn’t let you go so soon, otherwise; I would never have been able to see this.” He grabs my chin and forces me to look up into his eyes. “I do regret that because you have broken our deal, you will have to be punished.” 

His grin tells me otherwise. I start to tremble at what Dark might have planned for me now. “As much as it pains me to say this, I will not be the one delivering your punishment. I promised someone else they could do it.” I look at him with a questioning look before I feel a presence at my back. 

“B̸͔̺̍͂̃ȍ̴̧͌̔̔̃̎̅͝o̸̾̏̆͐͂̎̓͂͠.” I yelped in surprise at the glitchy voice in my ear. I realized what Dark meant in that moment. 

Anti is here. 

Dark held my face so tight that I couldn’t turn my head. I pressed myself into Dark as I felt something sharp caress my back. I did not want to be at the mercy of Anti. He is known for his love of the sharp and pointy knives. 

Dark just chuckles at my reaction and looks at Anti. “I don’t think she wants to play with you.” 

“Aww I thought ye liked me? That hurts my feelings. Ye might want to be a bit n̵̡͕̱̤̿̊̑̄͊̅̓̈́͠ͅi̶͚̤͙̫̝͙͐̐̎͋̒̈́̐͘͜͝c̷̞̱̞̼̿̒͆́̓͂͜e̴̼͎̜̻͓̜̼̳̫͖̺̪̣͓̽̏̏͗̈̅͂̐͌̕͝r̷̨̭̫̯̝̱̳̤͉̖̭̔̌̏̔̊̿̏͑͘ to me.” The knife digs into by back and I clench my jaw as I feel it break skin. Suddenly, the pressure is gone and I let out a sigh of relief. 

Dark drops his hand and steps away, his hands going behind his back. Anti turns me around and the first thing I notice, is the color. In a world of grey and darkness, he shines like a beacon. From the green in his hair, to the light green tint of his skin, he stands out in this world. He looks brighter and more colorful in person and I forget that he is just as dangerous as Dark. I only get to stare at him for a few seconds before a swipe of the knife brings me back. I put my hand to my cheek and feel wetness. When I look at my hand its smeared with blood. 

“Time ta have some fun.” He glitches and raises the knife again, ready to make another swipe. 

“You can also fuck off, ya glitchy bitch!” I dash to the side and try to make a run for it. My hand reaches the handle to the back door when something embeds itself into my back. I cry out in pain and reach behind to try and pull out whatever the object is but it’s in a spot that I can’t reach. I can feel the wetness of blood soaking into my shirt, causing it to stick to my back. 

Anti has managed to catch up to me and presses me against the glass door. He digs the object further into my back. “Ye didn’t really think I would let ye leave. I’m havin too much fun ta stop now.” 

“If you call this fun, then you haven’t been playing the right games. I can think of so many better things to be doing right now.” I manage to reply even as pain flashes across my back. The object was slowly being pulled out and the feeling wasn’t pleasant. 

“Oh? Do tell.” He dragged, what I now realize was the knife, gently down my shoulder. He was no longer pressing against me but I was afraid to turn around. 

“I’d rather be making out with Sean right now. Everyone knows he is the hotter one, out of the two of you.” I could feel the rage coming off Anti immediately. 

“Y̴̧̦̖̏̃̉̌ọ̴̧̙̘̎͊ǔ̷͚ ̶̛̲͕̥̗̊ͅB̶̨̲̯͕̩̠̓i̶̥͉͓̥̳̯͌̉̇͝t̵̞̮͖͓̆̅̋͋̄̌c̴̡̫͉͐͜ḣ̸̤!!” The rage in his voice was very apparent and I’m glad I hadn’t turned around. He stabbed me in the back almost as deep as the first wound. He dragged the knife down my back and I almost passed out from the pain. My legs start to tremble and give out. Someone is screaming and it isn’t until I run out of air, that I realize it’s me. 

Anti pulls the knife out and it’s as though that was a signal, because I my legs give out completely and I collapse to the ground on my back. 

“ANTI NO!” I look over to see Dark rushing over to us. His face angry as he reaches out for the green boy. “If you kill her here….” I never heard him finish because at that moment Anti decided to plunge the knife into my chest over and over again.   


So much pain.   
  
I couldn’t think.   
  
Pain consumed all.

My screams seemed to grow in volume.   
  
I just wanted it to end. 

I didn’t care if I died. 

At least it would be over with. 

The Darkness seemed to swallow me whole and I fell into a blissful state of nothingness. 

“BRI!!! WAKE UP BRI!!” 

Someone was shaking me hard. My eyes felt super glued closed and I struggled to open them. My throat felt dry and sore. 

“GOD DAMNIT BRI WAKE THE FUCK UP!” It sounded like Mark screaming my name. His voice was thick with fear and it was a good possibility he was the one shaking me. 

“Why isn’t she waking up? Do ye think He got to her? Is she even still alive? Those god awful screams will haunt me fer the rest of my days.” That had to be Sean talking. His accent was so thick that I had a hard time understanding him. 

I tried to open my eyes, to talk, to show some kind of movement so that they knew I was awake, but my entire body seemed to be fighting me. Mark continued to scream my name and it sounded like he was crying. Finally, I was able to open my mouth but the only thing that came out was a whimper. 

“Bri?” The shaking stopped but the arm underneath my neck didn’t vanish. “Bri, tell me you’re ok.” 

I opened my mouth to say something but my throat was too hoarse to make anything out. “I’ll get her something ta drink.” Sean’s voice fades as he leave the room. 

“Hey, can you open your eyes for me? I need to see you open them.” Mark’s voice was softer but with a touch of relief now mixed in with the fear. I struggled to do as he asked but they still refused to open. Tears leaked from my eyes as everything played over and over again in my head. 

It seemed like a millennium before Sean came back. His footsteps heavy as he ran up the stairs and into the room. “Bri, I got yer drink. There’s a straw in the glass to make it easier on ye.” I automatically open my mouth and feel the straw on my lip. I take huge sips of the drink, relieved that it’s just ice water.   
The drink is taken away when I open my mouth again. 

“I…” I have to clear my throat and try again because it feels so raw. “I can’t open my eyes.” Tears continue to fall as I try to open them again. 

“It’s alright, just take your time.” Footsteps fade into the bathroom and I hear water running. A few seconds later and a warm washcloth is laid over my eyes. “Bri? Can you tell me what happened? We’ve been trying to wake you up for almost an hour. You were screaming like someone was murdering you.” 

This was Dark’s plan. To make sure I wouldn’t be able to trust them. How could I trust that this was really them and not another one of Dark’s sick manipulations? I thought the other Mark and Sean were real too and it turned out to be fake. I felt like I couldn’t trust anything at this point.   
Feeling returned slowly to my limbs as I ignored Mark’s question. Weakly lifting off the cloth covering my eyes, I blinked. The light hurt and I had to blink a dozen times for my eyes to adjust. When I adjusted to the bright light shining in the room, I looked around. Everything seemed normal until my eyes fell upon them. For a flash, I thought I saw Dark and Anti staring at me with wicked grins upon their faces and I screamed. I tried to get away from them but my body barely made it to the other side of the bed. 

I collapsed and curled up into a ball, crying silently. “Don’t hurt me.” I mumbled over and over again. A hand on my arm made me jerk and tremble in fear. 

“Hey, no one’s gonna hurt you. What are you so afraid of? You know can always talk to me.” Mark had moved to the other side of the bed and sat down, careful not to touch me. I still wasn’t sure if I could trust this Mark. It would be so easy for Dark to trick me again. 

I argued with myself for what seemed to be an eternity, trying to figure out if this was real or just a dream. In that time, my tears had stopped and I just felt numb. Sean had left the room but Chica had taken his place, jumping on the bed and curling up next to me. 

“Sean made breakfast. You feel up to getting something to eat?” Mark leaned back on the bed and tried to look at my face, but I avoided his eyes. 

I didn’t say anything, just uncurled myself and stood up. Mark didn’t try to touch me as I looked down at the floor. He gave a sigh when I just stood there and simply started walking. We made our way downstairs and I could hear the sound of bacon sizzling. I perked up slightly at the smell of food when I realized how hungry I was. Sean never even turned around when we sat down, our chairs squeaking against the floor. 

The morning light made the kitchen bright but it couldn’t do a thing against all the tension in the air. I knew they wanted answers but I had no idea had to tell what was real or what wasn’t. What if I said something to them and it was just Dark again. How do I make sure this is reality? 

I’m pretty sure Mark and Sean were texting each other because every time one of them stopped texting, the other would start. They were probably trying to figure out what happened to me. 

My thoughts were put on pause when Mark cleared his throat. Looking up at him, I find Mark staring at my arms. Angry red marks flowed down both my arms and I quickly put my arms under the table. “I know you don’t want to talk about it but I need to know. What happened last night?” 

“No,” was all I said. 

“No? No what?” Mark continued to stare me down. 

“No.” 

“No, you won’t talk about it or….” There is a slight pause, “No, you can’t talk about it.” 

“I have to go home today.” I hurriedly changed the subject and hoped he wouldn’t try to continue down that path of questioning. His baffled and hurt expression let me know that he had know idea what was going on. 

“What the hell? You’ve only been here a few days. Why are you going home so soon?” I was tired and scared and his questions were getting on my nerves. I can’t keep my end of this naive bargain if Mark wouldn’t let things go. 

“BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T TELL ME IT WAS REAL!” I threw my hands in the air. I wasn’t angry at him. I was angry at myself and frustrated that Mark had never thought to warn his childhood friend that monsters are real, and one of them was his very own personal demon. 

“I don’t know what that means. I don’t know what I did. You haven’t explained why you’re reacting this way. I can’t fix what I don’t know.” Mark looked so hurt and all I wanted to do was hug him, but I know if I did that, I would spill everything and land myself in deeper water. 

Jumping up, I started pacing the kitchen. Sean briefly glanced at me and then at Mark before turning around and minding his own business. “You didn’t tell me HE was real. I thought I was your best friend! Best friends tell each other these kinds of things. I might not have believed you but I would have been warned. I would never have done what I did. Now….Now THEY have me and you guys are in danger. I was selfish and stupid. I just wanted to spend time with you without THEM around.” 

By the expressions on Sean and Mark’s face, I could tell they understood what I was trying to say. I hadn’t mentioned the conversation between Dark and I, but I had managed to still give them enough information about what was happening. I had managed to find a loophole to one of the rules in the deal, now to find loopholes for the rest of them. 

“Please tell me you didn’t make a deal.” Mark stood up and faced me. Horror was very prominent on his face but there was also worry. Perhaps it was worry for me? “Did you make a deal with Dark?” 

“I have to go home before he makes me do something to hurt you. They’ll punish me again, if I don’t. I can’t…” I took a deep breath as I showed Mark my arms and then my back. If the marks on my arms showed up then I was hoping so would the ones on my back. “I can’t go through it again. I’m sorry, I didn’t know what would happen.” 

Mark gave a gasp and Sean started throwing out words in the Irish language. “He did this to you? This is why you were screaming? Why you were so afraid of us?” I was afraid to say anything else in case this was a trap. It seemed like they were genuine but so did the others. I continued to stand there as they asked question after question. It finally dawned on them that maybe they were asking the wrong ones. 

I sat back down in my chair as Sean started putting the last bit of cooked food on plates. I was starving and I was definitely going to need as much nourishment as possible to fight off Dark and Anti. I had a mouth full of food when Mark and Sean finally came up with some new questions to ask me. 

“So, I’m going to ask you some questions. If you can’t answer, then tap the table once for yes and two for no.” Mark takes a deep breath, “Did you make a deal with Dark?” One tap. 

“Did he tell you; you can’t tell us about it?” Another tap. 

“Are you allowed to talk about last night?” One tap. 

“Aside from your deal, has he told you not to say anything else?” I thought about that question. Dark had said I couldn’t mention that days interaction or the deal. He hadn’t forbidden me from talking about anything else. My mouth was clear so I quickly took a drink to clear my throat. 

“I can talk about everything else. Just not….” I shrugged. Mark look slightly relieved but Sean was a different story. 

“Will ye tell us what happened last night?” I think I felt sorry for him the most. He was the one that would get taken over if he ever stopped fighting. “Ye were screaming like the devil himself was after ye.” 

I told them everything that happened last night in between bites of food. By the end of it, they both looked pale and a slightly sick color. “I told ye ta tell her! I told ye something would happen if ye didn’t!” Sean started yelling at Mark, who was visibly upset. 

“I’m sorry, Bri. I have no idea what he could possibly want with you or why he chose you in the first place. Maybe you’re right. Maybe it would be best if you are as far from me as possible.” He stood up and started heading towards the stairs. “I’ll help you pack and try to get you a flight home as soon as possible.” Without another word he left. 

“I’m sorry ye had ta deal with the shite heads, Bri. I am sorry ye got dragged inta all this. I wish we could have hung out a bit more, but trust me it’s best if ye don’t stick around. Especially since Dark seems ta be gunning after ye. Hopefully, he’ll leave ye alone if yer back home. If ye have anything else happen ta ye, I want ye ta call me. I’ll come rushin in with backup.” We exchanged numbers and then he left too. I’m assuming it was to talk to Mark but I could be wrong. 

I wanted to feel real sunshine on my face and decided to enjoy the sunlight while I still could. So, I walked outside with Chica following behind, as cheerful as ever. I stayed outside for a few hours and just layed in the grass, before deciding that I needed to start packing. I shivered in fear as grabbed the handle for the door, thinking about the last time I did that. After my panic subsided, I headed upstairs to find Mark on the phone in my room. 

I waited until he got off the phone before I made my way in the room. It looked like Mark had packed everything but the bathroom things, so I went to grab those. “Your flight is at 7 pm today. It was the earliest they had. I’m sorry things didn’t turn out like we hoped.” 

“Oh Mark, it’s not your fault Dark is an asshole or that I’m a dumbass. I just wish you had told me, instead of letting me find out the way I did. I might have been able to figure a way around him if I had a heads up. I still love you and I hope you’ll still hang out with me, just might have to keep the visits short.” I walked over and gave my best friend a hug. He seemed so downtrodden that I felt really bad for him. 

“Of course. I just wish things hadn’t turned out like this. I’ll drive you to the airport once you’re ready.” His voice was thick from unshed tears as he gave me a huge hug. 

The rest of the day seemed to rush by quickly as though it could sense the importance. I never wanted to go back to my life but to save my friends, I would have to. I needed to get as far away as possible to make sure I couldn’t be used to harm them. Eventually it was time to leave. I grabbed my things and carried them downstairs. Mark and Sean helped me get them in the car and then we were all off to the airport. 

It was a quiet ride. No one wanted to talk and the dark aura surrounding us seemed to weigh us all down. When we pulled up to the airport Sean got out and gave me a huge hug. “Keep in touch will ye? I want ta know how my new friend is doin every once in awhile. Remember, if anything happens let me know, and I’ll come rushing in.” 

I laughed, “I will. Just know I’ll do the same for you, alright?” 

While we were talking, Mark had gotten all my bags out of the car and onto a cart, so when Sean got in the front seat, he came over. One last hug between the two of us that ended too quickly. We said our tearful goodbyes and promised to keep in touch with each other. Neither one of us wanted to leave the other behind but I had a flight to catch and the more I was around Mark, the more danger he was in. I walked away, pushing my baggage cart and didn’t look back. 

I had made my flight with 5 minutes to spare. Now, I was sitting in my seat staring out the window, watching everyone get one…It must have been a trick of light, because for a moment the world outside turned grey and I thought I had seen Dark standing on the landing strip. It was over before I really got a good look but it didn’t matter. I was leaving and there was nothing he could do to me, that would get me to come back. 

You can run, you can hide, but there is nowhere you go that I can’t find you, Bri.


	5. Are you s̵͈͒ṵ̸̀r̵̮̓e̴̩͌?̸ͅ Part 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING for this chapter. This chapter will include.....Mutilation, electrocution, blood, gore.THis chapter is a cliffhanger just because i needed to end it at a reasonable length for me. lol I'm already working on the next part.  
> Please leave a comment. I enjoy reading them and they can be helpful to know if I'm going in the right direction.  
> Thank you and enjoy the show <3

It's been a month since I left Mark's house. I was paranoid at first, always jumping at strange noises, couldn't stand to have the lights off in the house, but as time went on and nothing happened, I started feeling better. I started working on my newest novel with ideas from my brief encounters with the darker egos. My publisher loved the idea of a novel in the horror genre, since all I had done so far was adventure/comedy. 

I kept in touch with the guys through facetime and phone calls, occasionally joining them on some multiplayer game. Their fans were always screaming for more collabs between the three of us and it was a nice way to spend some time together. They seemed to relax when nothing more happened but Sean looked worse for wear. He was always upbeat and smiling in his videos but when the cameras turned off, the mask was taken off.

"I'm fine, Bri. Nothing I haven't dealt with before. He'll eventually get tired of trying and stop tryin ta break free." Sean sighed into the camera and ran his fingers through his hair. He had dark bags under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for days.

"Is there anything I can do to help? You look like you haven't slept in days." I was really worried about him. I didn't know what I could do to help except be there for him.

"Na. I just have ta wait him out. Not much else ta be done. I appreciate ye fer trying though." He gave me a wide smile but I could definitely tell it was forced.

"Just call me if you need anything and I'll do it." I look at the time and let out a sigh. "I'd love to keep talking but I have a meeting with the publisher in 20 minutes. I'll talk to you later?"

"Ye know it! Have fun with yer meeting and I'll talk ta ye another time." I roll my eyes and laugh as we both end the call.

D̸͖̯̫͕͈͒̓̍i̴͙͙̒̌̄͒d̵̩͎̆͗͊͊̈́͜ ̶͔̻̦̜̈́̌y̷̢̻̼̳̓̈̚͝ǫ̶̡̦͓̰͗͝͝ȕ̷̪͔̎̈́ ̶̗̮͍̈́̈̉͠m̶̮̈́̑̿ì̸̠͍͚͖͐͂s̴̤̜̚s̸͇̣͕̗̑̋͐ ̶̝̱̬̫̒m̴̦̙̣̜̟̈͗è̴͕̹͝?̶̼̦̪̦̅

I started to shake as my computer screen turned black and green glitchy text took over the screen. I tried shutting down the computer but nothing happened. I finally unplugged all the cords from the wall, hoping that would work. When I look at the screen, the text is gone. I give out a sigh of relief and gather my things up to leave. I'm almost out the door when my phone starts buzzing like crazy.

S̶̠̮͎̈e̸̺̙̾͐̾͐͐ḙ̴͋ ̵̤̪͇̇̒̅y̶̦̰͚̯͚̋o̷̯̖̠̙͌̈́̈́ͅȗ̷̙͂̅̓ ̸͙͕̩̈́̃́̈́s̴̞̫̫̖̺̐̎ȏ̶͕͉͐͝ȯ̶͙̲n̶̟̩̪͚̙̏̃̓̚. ̵̧̛̩̬̰̼̐͆͝

The message was only there for a minute before my phone went back to normal, but it was enough for me to start hyperventilating. I stood there for a few minutes trying to catch my breath, my heart racing at the warning implied. What am I going to do?

My first thought is to call Mark, but I quickly shut that idea down. I don't want to worry him when I've only gotten a few messages. There is nothing he can do for me anyway. Dark had warned me that I couldn't hide from him but I didn't think I was important enough for him or Anti to chase me down. I guess I was very wrong. Maybe I should call Sean? I just got off the phone with him, but if Anti has taken over then the person I just talked to might not have been Sean at all.

"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS SHIT!!" I throw my hands in the air as I scream at nothing. Checking the time on my phone, I realize I'm going to be late and rush out of the house.

The rest of the day passes by in a rush and I completely forget about the threats from Anti or to call Sean back. It finally dawns on me while I'm getting ready for bed and I send a quick text to him asking to talk tomorrow. When I'm done, I pull back the covers and snuggle into bed. I'm about to turn off the light but my paranoia has me second guessing it, and I wind up leaving it on. If I had paid more attention to the shadows, I would never have fallen asleep that night, and maybe saved myself some pain.

I woke up and found myself chained to my bed. Metal cuffs closed around my wrists with thick chains that seemed to come out of my bed. I had enough chain to stand up on the bed, but never enough to leave it. I put all my weight against the chains but none of the links broke. The cuffs seemed to be welded shut, with no way to take them off. As I looked around my room, I realized that the darkness seemed thicker and pulsed as though it had a heartbeat. The only other time it had felt like this was at Mark's.

I grabbed my glass from the bedside table that I had left there last night, intent on using it as a weapon. "I know you're there Dark. I'm already terrified, so you might as well stop with the dramatics and come out!" I really was terrified. After what had happened to me before, I would be crazy not to be scared.

"And your fear smells delicious. Like a fine wine aged to perfection." His sinister voice whispered in my ear, at the same time his hands grabbed my arms, forcing me to hug myself. If my hand gripped the glass any tighter, it would probably break. "It's been so long, Bri. Did you forget me? Did you think leaving would keep you safe?" He let go of me abruptly and when I turned around, Dark was gone. 

I struggled against the chains again, hoping this time would be different, but they still refused to let me go. Laughter echoed throughout the room as Dark sauntered out from the darkness in the corner of the room. He stood at the edge of the bed, just out of reach of my touch. 

"I left to keep them safe. I LEFT SO YOU COULDN'T USE ME AGAINST THEM!!" I chucked the glass at Dark's head. I should have realized what was happening and where I was the moment I woke up in chains, but fear will mess with your brain more than you think.

The glass disappeared a moment before it hit Dark in the head. He cracked his neck as the red and blue aura followed the movement, a few seconds slower. "The more you fight, the worse it will be for you. Let me in and I can stop what happens next...." He leans in towards me and something about his expression send shivers down my spine. His eyes were no longer a deep red, but pitch black. The sclera, the pupil, everything turned black, causing his expressions to seem even more ominous than before. 

"Let me in and everything will go back to normal. You can go back to not worrying about anything except your normal human things......All you have to do is.... Let. Me. In." Those last three words seemed to be whispered in my mind. The more I stared into his eyes, the more his request seemed reasonable. I was unconsciously leaning towards him. 

Something about those eyes pull me in. My thoughts get muddled and I try to get as close to Dark as I physically can. Something about him makes me feel safe, as though he's a warm blanket to snuggle in.

The edge of the cuff biting into my wrist caused me to gasp in pain and shake this fuzzy feeling from my head. I shook my head and realized that I was no longer on the bed. The chains had extended enough, that I was standing on the floor, with my arms wrapped around Dark's body. My hands are clasped together and one of the cuffs are pinching my wrist, which explained the pain.

Dark was leaning over me with one hand resting on my shoulder and the other on the back of my head, his fingers tangled in my thick, black and purple hair. He was whispering promises of things he could give me as long as I obeyed him and let him in. I don't think he realized that I had broken free from whatever spell he had put me under. The rage at being caught and trapped so easily, had me scooting back just enough to give my legs some room.

Before Dark realized what was happening, I brought my knee up quickly into the no no zone. I was almost too short to kick him there but thankfully I managed. The hand in my hair tightened immediately and the chains started reversing just enough that my arms were now behind my back. Dark jerked my head back until I was looking him in the eyes. They were that deep red again but I still closed my eyes, just in case he had anymore tricks up his sleeves.

"Now that wasn't very nice of you. Hasn't anyone taught you manners?" Dark growled at me as his hand tightened in my hair even more. I......I regret this decision especially since it did absolutely nothing to him.

The best course of action is to keep my mouth and eyes shut. I can't get myself into anymore trouble if I do that. Dark doesn't seem to think so, as he jerks my head around. "Answer me!" His voice lowering an octave.

"Y..yes..." I squeak out. Terrified of what will happen next.

"Yes what?" His voice whispered into my ear causing me to jump in surprise.

"I was taught manners." Lawdy, what more did he want from me? I had a horrible feeling this wasn't going to end well for me, no matter what I did.

Dark's hand relaxes in my hair and he starts petting me....like a fucking dog. "Then use them. I might make things a little easier on you, if you're obedient enough."

That

That right there......Was the worst thing he could have said to me. My rebellious side took a great deal of offense and kicked into overdrive, overriding any fear I had.

"The same person that taught me manners, also taught me that I shouldn't fucking put up with douchecanoes like YOU." Jerking my head away, I kicked Dark in the knee as hard as I could. He wasn't expecting it and fell backwards onto the floor. I glared at him as I spit in his direction.

As he looked at me from the ground, double vision took hold and his echoes screamed and yelled in rage. With a snap of his fingers, my chains reversed so quickly that I was jerked onto the bed and dragged backwards, kicking and screaming the entire time. There was no give on the chains, so I could no longer move my arms around. It was awkward but I could still lift my head to see what Dark was doing.

He had gotten off the ground and was now dusting off his suit. I have no regret for WHAT I said, but I do feel major regret for saying them. A hand behind his back, he slowly saunters over to the bed, fingertips gliding along my legs until I start trying to kick him again. I lay my head down when he gets closer and just stare at him. 

"What? Have you run out insults to throw or does the dark have your tongue?" He smirks at his own lame joke. He seems content with my silence and sits beside my on the bed.

"There is nobody to help you now. No Mark or Sean to save you from these nightmares, not that they could save you before. You are mine to play with as I see fit. If you will not help me voluntarily, then I will come to you, every night, until you beg for mercy." His words seem so gentle but the threat is very real.

I try to keep my façade up. To not show the terror running through my mind but my body betrays me, as a light tremor start making the chains rattle slightly. I watch as his black nails elongate and he presses the tips into my immobilized arm. Clenching my teeth, I try to mentally prepare myself for the pain I know is coming.

"This is your last chance, Bri. Just give in." Dark looks at me with an amused expression, like he knows what my answer is going to be.

"You can take your last chance and shove it up your," I hiss in pain as Dark digs his claws into my arm hard enough to draw blood. He slowly drags his hand down my arm until it meets the cuff. Blood pools in the small cuts. 

"I hope you don't mind if I put on some music to accompany us, as it is going to be a rather long night." Classical music seems to drift out of nowhere and everywhere at once. Seemingly satisfied with his music choice, he stands up. With a flick of his wrist the bed rises higher. "This is much better. I have to thank you for putting up such a fight. I don't think I've had this much fun in a long time."

My only response is to try and kick him again. Cold metal cuffs clasp around my ankles and hold them to the bed, much like the ones holding my wrists. One swipe from Dark shreds one of the legs of my pajama bottoms. Another swipe makes my leg look like my arm.

It continues like this, for what seems like eternity, until all four limbs are mangled. Blood is pouring out and I am laying in a puddle of my own blood. I had tried to hold in my cries but the pain eventually became too much and I started screaming. The tears came next and never stopped. Occasionally, Dark would stop and try to talk to me but I could no longer form coherent sentences or really hear what he was saying. It took every bit of willpower to stop myself from giving in completely, just to stop the pain.

Eventually, he just stopped. There was no more pain, no more blood being shed and for that, I was thankful. My throat was so raw from the screams that I lost the ability to make any sort of noise, eons ago. I was so focused on the pain that it took a while before I realized that the bed was lowered again and my body no longer restrained. It didn't matter because I was too weak to do anything now.

Dark sat next to me on the bed and started caressing the side of my face. I was in such a daze that it never even registered in my mind what was happening. "Oh Bri, you could have saved yourself the pain. You had to make things so much harder than it actually is. I don't think you can hear me now, but I respect the loyalty you have, foolish as it may be. I do hope you put up this much of a fight for all my visits because that will make my victory all the sweeter."

My vision faded in and out as my brain started shutting down. I slowly sank into the darkness of unconsciousness.

Sunlight was streaming into my room when I jolted awake. My entire body felt sore and my throat hurt immensely. I felt as though I hadn't slept in years. I hurriedly checked my arms and legs and saw bright, red lines exactly where Dark had clawed me. I was scared. Pure terror lacing flooding through every vein in my body. I knew I couldn't keep this to myself if Anti was on the way, and Dark was going to keep coming after me every night. I needed the cavalry and I needed them now.

I picked up my phone and called Mark. It was still early but he should be up by now, unless he had a really late night. It rang a few times and then my phone shut off. A shiver slide down my spine as I got eerie feeling in my gut. I rebooted my phone and as soon as it was running, I tried calling mark again. This time my phone started creating a god awful screeching noise. Green text glitches across the screen several times, causing me to throw it under my pillow.

Ah.

Ah.

Ah.

Ī̸͉̭̃̓ ̵̙͊͊̔̿̕ḍ̶̨̻̹̣ờ̷̭̮̑̎n̶̩͔͐'̷̠̯̜̜̖͊̅͝ţ̵̞̘͠ ̸̤̓͘t̴͇̋̍h̵̡̭̟̦͂i̸̤̯̦̐̊̇̏n̵̻͖̘͓̯͒k̷͚̃̎̆̉̚ ̵̢̛̋͘s̴̻͆͜o̸̯͌̆̈́̽̆͜ ̶̝͐̕B̶̗̺̩̱͛̾͘r̵͎͍̭͒͛͜ḯ̴̩͚͕͑̌.̶̢̨͇̠̬̌

Well, this wasn't good. If Anti won't even let me contact the only other person that can help me, then I was essentially alone and in terrible trouble. The screeching noise had stopped and now the silence was disquieting. I got my phone and looked to see if there were any other messages, but the phone seemed to be normal again. 

I thought about it for a second and then had a brilliant idea. I might not be able to contact Mark, but I might be able to send him a coded message through his other friends. I don't know Bob or Wade that well but I do have their private numbers, and I'm hoping I can get them to forward a message for me. I'll have to use something electronic that isn't mine. Perhaps, I can use a neighbor's phone?

I'd never really talked to my neighbors except for the polite 'Hi' every now and then. Hopefully, one of them will be nice enough to let me use their cellphone to send a quick message. If this didn't work, then I'm not sure what my next step will be. At the most, I probably only have a few days before Anti does show up.

Making up my mind, I get ready for the day. I ignore the shadows swirling menacingly around my bathroom mirror and take a shower. Once I've finished with that and getting ready for the day, I go downstairs and eat breakfast. It's about 10 am and I think I hear the neighbors up and about. 

I walk outside and see one of the neighbors about to cut their grass. Hurrying over, I wave my hand in greeting. "Hey, Bri, nice to see you alive and in one piece. I was a little worried about what was happening over at your place, what with all the screaming last night." 

I chuckle sheepishly at him and rub my neck, "Yeah, sorry about that Tim. I had a wicked nightmare last night. I didn't realize I was screaming in my sleep. I'm hoping that was end of that, but I'll put something over the window to help muffle the noise, so I won't be as loud if it happens tonight."

Tim gives out a small laugh. "Probably, a good idea. If you're having nightmares that bad, I'd really hate to be in your shoes. I was about to call the police because I thought you were being murdered. Wouldn't be surprised if the couple next door heard you too."

"I'll go talk to them next. Let them know I'm alive and all that. The reason I came over is if you could do me a favor. For some reason, my phone is broke. I think I grabbed it when I was sleeping and threw it at the wall. Can I borrow your phone to message a friend? I have a new one coming tomorrow but my friend was expecting a reply from me today." I have to shut my mouth before I start rambling nonsense.

"Maybe you should get a tank proof phone, if your gonna throw it at walls." Tim laughs and reaches for his phone. He hesitates a moment before placing it in my outstretched hand. "Now, don't be throwing my phone. It's the only one I can afford right now."

"I assure you. I'll treat it as if it's the last one on earth." He chuckles and shakes his head before turning on the mower. I walk over to my yard and pull out the number to Bob. I had no idea who Anti was watching so I was going to have to keep the messages vague and just pray that Bob would pull through for me.

Unknown caller: Hey, Bob. I broke my phone last night. I can't say my name but I'm Mark's friend from the streams. I know this is a little odd but I need you to send Mark a message for me.

I didn't think he would respond but after a few minutes, I finally got a reply.

Bob: Why can't you say your name? Is this a prank? Are you one of his freaky stalker fans?

Unknown caller: No, I'm that childhood friend of his. I think I'm being stalked and my phone has been hacked. I don't know if my stalker has hacked anyone else, so I'd prefer if you didn't mention my name to anyone, even Mark. 

Bob: Well, this doesn't sound suspicious at all. Have you tried calling the police? That's what their there for.

Unknown caller: They didn't believe the stalker part. I need you to send a message to Mark, just in case something happens to me. I don't want him wondering what happened and doing something foolish.

Bob: I guess it doesn't hurt to just send a message. This better not be a prank.

Unknown caller: Thanks Bob. You don't know how much this means to me. Tell him that this is a Code Green. Green is on his way to my house. Tell him Code Red and Blue is also here. Tell him to be prepared for the worst to happen. Tell him that he will always be my best friend and I'm so happy that he found someone like Amy.

Bob: This sounds super cryptic and dangerous. Idk about this.......

Unknown caller: Please!! Just send it to him. He needs to know this right away!

Bob: Ok ok. I'll send it to him. I guess he can just ignore it if this is a prank. I'm still slightly concerned that you have my actual number...

Unknown caller: You and Wade gave me your numbers after we got done with a streaming session. I'm serious Bob. This is someone else's phone so please don't message back at this number. If I survive this....We'll have to play a few games together. Goodbye Bob.

I waited about 5 minutes and when no one messaged me back, I deleted the number and all the messages from the phone. Hopefully, this was going to work, though I'm not overly optimistic about it.

I flag Tim down and thank him, giving him back the phone. He nods and waves at me before going back to business. With nothing left to do, I head back into my house to try and get some more work done. My computer turns on with no problems but when I load my book up, I'm honestly more angry than afraid.

I scroll through all the pages I had done so far and see that about half of them had that glitchy txt shoved randomly about. It would take me forever to fix everything and I was not happy about that. I was about to start screaming when I remembered that my neighbors could hear me.

Anti had somehow managed to destroy half my work and he wasn't even here. I was going to murder him the moment he walked in the door.....With his own damn knife. Hell, five of the pages just had the same sentence saying the same thing.

I'm on my w̴̡̾̾̀͋̕a̶̙͘y̴̥͍̏̎͝͝.

I was furious that I was going to be spending hours trying to fix the mess he made. I doubt I would make any actual progress on the book now. If he thought this was going to scare me, he was sorely mistaken.

Three hours later and I was finished with fixing Anti's mess. I was starving and my stomach was grumbling at me so much, I couldn't focus on actual writing. The barren fridge didn't provide any results. I had forgotten to go to the grocery store yesterday, with everything going on, so it looked like I was going to be ordering out. I briefly entertained the thought of getting in touch with Anti and making him go to the store for me, seeing as I was probably going to have to feed him. A small chuckle escaped me before I thought better of it. God only knows what he would do if I tried to make him my errand boy.

Sighing, I flop on the couch and order a pizza. I'm too tired to go to the store and I just want to relax. Maybe later I can muster the energy to go to the store. Grabbing the remote, I turn on the Roku and switch it to YouTube. It looks like Sean had uploaded a video yesterday. I wonder if he did this after our call or before? The thumbnail looked slightly sinister and the title was even worse.

I started the video wearily. For the first 3 minutes it was just a shot of Sean's recording room. I was about to fast forward the video when the screen started to glitch. Distorted, sinister laughter seemed to bounce around the screen. Every once in awhile Sean would pop up on the screen glitching around. I knew it wasn't Sean now, it was Anti. 

"Ye thought ye had seen the last of me? Well, guess again because I̶̪͆'̶̤͆m̶͕ ̷̰̚n̷̤̊o̶̙̚ẗ̸́ͅ ̴̦̅g̴̤̅o̷̠̔ȉ̷̝ǹ̶͔g̵͓͑ ̴̘̅a̴̪̿ň̴̻y̵͚̆ẅ̵͎́ĥ̵̲e̶̞̚r̷̼̀è̴̙. Dark's had his fun but it's my turn now." Anti glitched and pointed his knife at the camera. His maniacal laughter seemed to echo in my living room, as if he was here.

I stared at the screen for a moment but immediately started looking for my keys when he mentioned Dark. I found them by the couch and calmly started walking towards my front door, shaking my head. I turned one last time towards the tv and pointed a finger at Anti, like he could see me. "I am not gonna just stand here and wait for you to hurt me. I may not be the smartest person in the world, but I'm not gonna be that girl in the horror movies that gets killed first because of stupid mistakes. Bye Felicia."

The moment my hand touched the doorknob, I knew I was a goner. It was like lightning coursing through my body and my body locked up. I tried to let go but my hand seemed to be magnetized to the handle. It seemed to go on forever but in reality, it was over in a split second. I dropped to the ground with my head angled towards the tv, now able to see that he was bent over, laughing hysterically.

All the lights in the living room started flickering and Anti's smile seemed to widen even more. His eyes seemed to change from a beautiful green to something far more sinister looking. Black bled into the sclera and iris, while the pupil changed into a bright green. His teeth looked sharper and the wound on his neck started to drip blood onto his shirt. He looked absolutely terrifying and if I had been able to move, I would have run as fast and as far as I could.

"Relax, Bri. Ye seem a little tense. Hows about ye just lay there, and e̸̡̊n̵̠͒j̵̡̚o̴̺̿ẏ̶̳ ̵͔̅t̴͈͠h̵̙é̸̳ ̷̥͒s̸̻͆h̶̪͝ŏ̸͙w̸͖͂.̸̪̔." He took a step forward and the lights in the room went out. I was terrified and though my body seemed to be a little less stiff, I still couldn't move. My lungs seemed to have a hard time working, so every breath I took was ragged and shaky. 

Anti reached a hand out towards the camera, like he was pushing something back and then....Nothing. Nothing happened for several seconds. All of a sudden, the lights started flickering like I was at a rave and the tv screen was glitching violently. Fingers with black nail polish inched their way out of my tv screen. Slowly, hands followed through. The more of him that came out of my tv, the more I started freaking out, until I was having a panic attack. 

Tears streamed down my face as I struggled to draw a full breath. Bright green hair started peeking out of the tv and soon enough Anti's head was through. He looked at me with that nefarious look, "H̴̢̊E̷͕͝R̵͕̈́Ẽ̴ͅ'̵͔͝S̵̘͝ ̸̦̿A̴͙͗N̵̮͝T̵͙̎I̵͎͘.̴!!" That insane laughter filled the room and seemed to close in on me. He continued to crawl out of the tv like some kind demon spawn rising from hell, until he was completely through. Then on all fours, he scrambled over to me. "İ̸̢'̸̰̌m̵͙̂ ̶̩͗h̷̭͒ê̶͙r̶͎͗ë̵̬́ ̷͛ͅn̴̢̈́ō̸̤w̷̟̕.̶̯̾."

My body simply couldn't cope with the overwhelming stress from it all, and I did the worst thing I could have done... I fainted.


	6. Are you ŝ̴̱̚ū̸̡̫r̷̢̙̀̚ę̵̽?̷̭͝ Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anti and Dark continue to torture Bri until she gives them what they want. She won't give up without a fight, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This entire chapter is nothing but Bri being tortured in various ways. Proceed with caution.

The first thing I see is darkness. Not very promising considering everything I’ve gone through. My arms and legs felt like they were bound together, and stretched so far out that I couldn’t curl up. It didn’t feel like I was being held upside down but in this twisted place, anything could happen. The darkness surrounded everything, like a thick blanket, so I couldn’t see what I was bound with. I got tired of holding my head up and just let it hang, my hair falling around my face.

“Did you miss me, because I missed you. I wasn’t expecting you back so soon, Bri. In fact, I am surprised you didn’t try to stay awake as long as possible.” Dark stepped out from the darkness like a glowing star. He was the only light in this abysmal night. 

I looked up and saw that I was being held slightly higher than him. He wore that obnoxious smirk of his, as he stopped just far enough away that he didn’t have to crane his neck very far. “Yeah, well, Anti had other plans, I suppose. It wasn’t exactly my idea to come back to hell.” I casually spouted this at him, pretending I wasn’t terrified of what Dark was going to do to me this time.

“It’s about time he showed up. I was starting to wonder if he had gotten lost.” Dark cocks his head in thought and then shakes it, as though to clear the insignificant thought from his head. He gently grabs my chin and raises my head just enough that my hair falls out of my face. With his other hand, he caresses my cheek. If I didn’t know any better, I would think he actually cared about me. His eyes seemed to hold a glimmer of kindness as he stared me down.  
Remembering what had happened last time, I jerk my head out of his hands and close my eyes. An eerie chuckle made me flinch and close my eyes harder. “What do you expect to happen Dark? I already gave you my answer and it will never change, so you might as well do, whatever you plan to do to me.” I try to deliver this as cold as possible, just to keep up my brave act. 

Dark sounds slightly further away when he responds, “Well, I was hoping you would agree after what happened last time, but it would appear that you haven’t quite learned your lesson. I suppose we shall just have to continue until you do. I am rather busy today, so this shall have to be a bit quicker.” I open my eyes and find the area isn’t quite as darker as before. Dark stood off to the side with his arms behind his back. I couldn’t tell if he was bored or amused but he was paying close attention.

I could feel myself being lowered towards a buzzing sound, and I started to struggle when I saw that I was swinging to the side so that I wouldn’t land on the saw, but the ropes didn’t even waver as they continued their descent. The saw was close enough now that I could see it spinning on the table, glinting in the strange light.

Tears fell from my eyes as I stared down Dark. I had accepted my fate and I would not beg for him to stop this, knowing what he would want in return. The buzzing grew even louder as I got closer, and Dark just grinned at me. “A simple yes and you shall be set free.” He leaned forward slightly, every movement seemed to be graceful and somehow mocking at the same time.

“I would rather die a thousand deaths than agree to anything you want, you fucking twat waffle with a side of shut the fuck up. I thought you were hotter when you weren’t real. Now that I’ve met you, I can definitely say, you have the personality of a wet napkin.” Dark seemed to get pissed at that because I seemed to fall even faster. He didn’t say another word, just watched with angry glee.

Nothing I did could prepare me for that first slice. The blade ripped through my stomach like it was made of butter. I managed to keep quiet for several seconds, but the pain eventually kicked in and I was screaming without realizing what was happening. The pain increased as the blade shredded through nerves and tendons, eventually ripping through my intestines. I didn’t notice that the blade had stopped and had disappeared, I was too busy trying to figure out how to stop the pain.

Blood rained down from the gaping wound in my stomach and splashed to the darkened floor. I didn’t even notice that my insides were slowly falling out of me. My throat had become raw from my screams and I could no longer make a sound, though that didn’t stop me from trying. A wave of heat passed through my body and then I was cold. I felt weaker by the second and could no longer hold my head up. Every second that passed I felt less and less until I could no longer feel anything at all. 

I didn’t realize I was no longer tied up and laying on my back until Dark was crouched over me. My vision was slowly being overtaken by the darkness but before it consumed me completely, I felt Dark move the hair from my face, “Oh, Bri. You have my respect and I am sorry, but if you will not help me voluntarily then I shall have to break you until you obey me completely. It would be so much easier for everyone if you just gave in. Until next time, little bobcat.” 

I found myself, once again, falling into the inky abyss.

My eyes shot open and I would have screamed if it wasn’t for the cloth shoved in my mouth. My arms were bound together in front of me by a single rope, though it was very loosely tied. I ached everywhere but at least I could move again and I was breathing normally, so that was a plus. I was exhausted like I hadn’t slept in days. I guess being tortured while you’re unconscious isn’t exactly restful. The sound of someone eating caught my attention and when I looked over towards the sound, I saw Anti eating a slice of pizza. 

I yanked the cloth out of my mouth and started untying the rope, making small groaning noises that caught his attention. “Finally, awake are ye? Ye've been out for hours. I’m assuming Dark got ahold of ye, by the sound of the screams. I had ta gag ye so yer neighbors wouldn’t come runnin over here.”

I ignored everything he was saying and just stared him down. “Anti? Is that my pizza you’re eating?”  
Anti looks at the half-eaten slice in his hand and gives me a smug smile. “What if it is? What are ye gonna do about it? Cry?” He looks me straight in the eyes and takes another bite.

I’m not sure if it was from the stress of the threats or the tortured nights but every fuck I had to give was gone and I snap. I get up off the couch and unplug my lamp from the wall. Anti is watching me with suspicion as I walk over to him. I give him no time to defend himself as I throw the lamp right as his head.  
The lamp hits him in the forehead, making his head snap back and hit the wall. The lamp falls to the floor perfectly fine thanks to the carpet flooring. “That was my fucking pizza, you dick! I am so sick of Dark and I’m already sick of your shit too! Both of you can fuck off and leave me the hell out of your schemes! I will never help with whatever you’re planning, no matter how much you torture me!!!” I’m breathing heavily when I finish screaming at him. Anti grabs his head and groans before glaring at me.

“Bitch! Ye wanna play? Well, let’s play then.” He gave me a wicked grin as he stood up. I quickly bent down to grab the lamp, I was so gonna use it against him. I hold up this giant lamp like it’s a baseball bat, ready to swing at any moment. Anti reaches his hand out and I go to swing at him. He manages to move just enough so that I just graze him.  
He still stumbles back and when he looks at me his eyes start to flicker back and forth, from green to blue and back. 

They finally settle on that bright, beautiful blue that lets me know that Sean is back. “Bri? I’m so sorry! I tried ta hold him back but I just wasn’t strong enough. I’m sorry ye got dragged inta all of this.”

I throw the lamp down and hug Sean, immediately apologizing to him, “Are you ok? I hit Anti with my lamp and Anti is you and…..that…. means… I hit you.” I jump back gasping as the full realization of my actions hits me. If Anti comes back, I won't be able to hurt him without hurting Sean too.

Sean rubs his head and smiles at me in sympathy. “Well, I have a nasty headache but I’ll be fine. That hit knocked Anti’s control loose and let me take control again. Trust me, ye have nothing to be sorry for. I don’t blame ye for smacking that asshole around.” He steps forward and this time it’s him hugging me. 

I relax into the hug and we stay like that for a moment. Suddenly, I feel him tighten his arms around him until I am struggling to breathe. I start patting him on the back trying to get him to loosen his grip. “Sean I can’t breathe. Let go.” I feel his breath in my ear as he starts laughing.

“Hit me again and ye’ll have more to worry about than a few sparks of electricity.” I freeze up completely and my eyes widen in fear. 

This wasn’t Sean. This was most definitely not him. Had it been a trick to make me let my guard down?

Sean no Anti let me go and sat back down in the chair. I gasped for air at the sudden release while he just watched me with a smirk on his face. “Sit down,” was all he said. I debated on just leaving but the memory of what happened the last time I tried made me shudder. I finally sat back down on the couch as far from him as possible.

“Now, this is what’s gonna happen. Ye’re going ta get yer stuff and go back to Mark’s place. Ye’ll do exactly what we want or we’ll keep torturing ye until ye do. Simple as that.” He said it as if I had no other options. I guess I didn’t have any good options, didn’t mean I would give in that easily though. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try and put up a fight.

I flip him the bird and attitude drips off my words as I respond. “Well, I guess you’ll just have to kill me because I won’t do it. Nothing you do will make me betray Mark.”  
The look in his eyes made me shudder. Those green eyes held such darkness and malicious glee, that I could only wonder at what hole I had truly dug myself. His voice was ice cold and severely distorted, his body taking on a glitchy quality that made him look like a malfunctioning video. “Ye have no idea how happy ye just made me. We are going ta have so much fun together.”

“We are not having anything together. There is no we. There is only me and I will be in my room with the door locked until you get bored and get the fuck out of my house.” I snatched the pizza box up, grabbed me a few drinks from the fridge, and walked up to my room. “Ye can’t stay in there forever, Bri.” His laughter followed me to my room. I slammed the door shut and locked it, effectively locking him out.

The almost empty box hit the bed at the same time that I did. I grabbed my pillow and shoved it into my face, screaming into it in frustration. Dark and Anti were going to keep torturing me until they broke me into a million pieces or I died. Whichever comes first. I can’t avoid Dark but maybe I could avoid Anti. I wonder if I could sneak out of the house without him noticing? It was worth a try.

I look in the pizza box and see there is only one slice of pizza left. Mumbling under my breath, I eat the slice and then go to my computer. I couldn’t trust anything electrical after seeing the horrific sight of Anti crawling out of my tv, so I started unhooking my computer so he couldn’t use it against me. After I’m done with that, the batteries in all my electronics were next.

Anti must have gotten bored because I hear banging on my door as I lay in bed reading. I ignore it hoping he will give up and leave. The banging increases until I finally give in and shout. “WHAT DO YOU WANT!!”

There is silence for a moment, “Little pig, little pig, let me in.” His whispered voice leaves me with chills.

“Not in a million years, Anti.” 

“If ye won’t do it then I’ll just have ta let myself in.” I put my book down and hurriedly pick up my baseball bat when I hear my door unlock. Taking up a defensive stance, I wait for whatever might happen next.

The door slowly opens and Anti’s head pops in. He walks in with a grin and throws himself on my bed laughing at my stance. “Put yer bat down, ye look silly like that. Ye remember what happened last time ye tried ta hurt me.”

I lower the bat when I remembered that Anti had Sean’s body, and hurting Anti meant I was hurting my friend. He chuckles and ruffles my hair as he walks by. “Good girl.” He flops on my bed and stretches for a moment before leaning back against the headboard. “This is yer last chance to agree ta what we want. If ye don’t, then I guess I can start playin with ye.”

I wasn’t sure why he was asking this question again. I made it pretty clear the first time that I wasn’t helping them out. I just shake my head and start walking out of the bedroom, not even willing to give a reply.

The only warning I got that something bad was about to happen, was the creak of my bed. I heard a distorted noise and then I was being slammed face-first into my hallway. Anti had his arm across the back of my neck, keeping my face against the wall. My head hurt from the impact but the pain was ignored as I tried to kick him away. I heard him yip in surprise and then he was pressing his entire body against me. His legs pinning min against the wall. I was feeling a bit conflicted about this because it was definitely  
Sean’s body pressed against me but this was very much not Sean.

“Fuckin rude, I wasn’t done talking ta ye. Ye made yer decision loud and clear though.” He whispered into my ear causing me to shiver. I tried wiggling free but Anti was much stronger than me and I had never taken self-defense courses. Something sharp dragged itself across my cheek, effectively making me stop.  
Blood trickled down my cheek and I winced at the small pain. “Nothing you do will make me change my mind. Nothing!” My voice was breathy and I tried to move my head, but the pressure on my neck prevented it.

“Good. That means I get more time with ye all ta myself. I’m tired of Dark stealing all the fun, fucking Edge Lord.” Anti grumbled to himself. He really seemed to have a thing against Dark. Maybe I can get them to turn against each other and leave me the fuck alone.

I opened my mouth to say something but immediately shut it when I felt a slice go down my arm. I could feel the blood run down my arm and knew that Anti had sliced my arm deeper than I would ever want. The smell of copper filled the air and the pain had my eyes watering. A noise escaped my mouth when he sliced the other arm. I was actively crying now, trying to be as silent as possible. I suppose it’s a good thing my floors were all hardwood and not carpet. Otherwise, it would be a bitch to get out.

“How about we take this somewhere a little more ȉ̴̙̘n̸̝͎͛t̷̞̰̕ê̴͍̲ŕ̴̘̫͠e̶̳͉͆͌ş̸̭͐͝t̵͔͋͝i̵̦͆̒͜n̸̖̤͂g̴̲̃͊?̵̗̺̊?” He said this in the most playful way possible like we were about to go to an amusement park or something. 

I felt him take a step back but before I could do anything about it, I felt a hand grab my hair and jerk me towards the bathroom. I kicked and punched him but nothing worked. I even bit him but the look he gave me after, made me not want to do it again…. Ever again. We got to the bathroom and he flung me into my bathtub. 

The bathtub was large enough that three people could sit in it comfortably and still have room to move. The ceiling had a showerhead right in the middle that made it feel like you were showering in the rain. I enjoyed it on a good day… This was not one of those days. In fact, I was terrified of why we were here. 

Anti sauntered over to me and smiled at me before smacking himself in the head. “Shite, I forgot something. Don’t you move, I'll be right back.” He glitched away and then I heard him rummaging in my kitchen for something. I took that as a signal to get the hell out of dodge. Quietly getting up and out of the tub, I snuck to the doorway. I could still hear him in the kitchen and it sounded like he was getting frustrated. Making a break for my bedroom, I completely forgot about the blood trail in the hallway and slipped in a small puddle. With a small oof noise, I hit the ground on my stomach. 

My arms hit the ground and it took all my willpower not to cry out. My arms are still bleeding but the flow has slowed down so that it’s barely a trickle. My breath catches in my throat when a pair of sneakers appear in my vision. “Just where do ye think yer goin little puppet? Fer fucks sakes can ye not even follow the simplest of instructions?”  
He grabbed a handful of my hair and dragged me back into the bathroom. “I will never stop fighting you! Do you hear me, glitch bitch!? I am going to fight you till my dying breath!” I was screaming at the top of my lungs, grabbing onto anything I could, the blood on my hands making it impossible. Anti stopped and kicked me in the side several times.

“Don’t call me that! I’m so sick of that name!” I try to fend him off but that only results in him kicking my injured arms. I cry out and making him laugh. It bounces off the walls, sinister and never-ending.

The cruel demon picks me up and jumps me in the middle of the tub. I wind up on my back, too hurt to move away. He crouches down and pulls out his knife, using it to cut my shirt down the front. I grab the shirt and try to keep myself covered but he slaps my hand away and waggles his finger at me. 

“Tsk tsk. If ye keep moving that won’t be the only thing I cut off.” His threat makes me shiver and stops my hands. My bra keeps me somewhat covered but that isn’t enough, so I cross my arms over me, smearing blood. Anti grabs the edges of the shirt, exposing my stomach, and drags his knife gently down the middle stopping at the top of my jeans. “Look at all that perfect flesh. Not a mark ta be found. I think I’ll have ta do something about that.”

My eyes widen and I jerk when he makes several long cuts. They are just as deep as the ones on my arms, maybe even a little deeper. I yell out in pain and instantly feel some kind of cloth shoved in my mouth. “As much as I enjoy those beautiful noises, it’s best if we don’t wake the neighbors. I’d hate for the police ta get involved and ruin our fun. I have so many things planned. Now leave that in or ye’ll lose some fingers.” My screams are muffled and I start crying. At this point, I don’t even care about trying to keep it in.  
I see Anti get up and grab something off the ledge of the tub. When he crouches back down, I see he is holding my jar of salt. I immediately go to scoot away but that makes the wounds hurt worse and I freeze. He gives a small chuckle and looks me in the eyes. “This might sting a little.” 

There was a sudden wave of pain as he poured salt all over my wounds. It felt like small embers had been shoved into every cut and that caused a wave of nausea to pass through me. I felt him rub the salt in, not exactly being gentle either. My back arched and I struggled to keep from moving more. My fingers clawing at anything they could get ahold of.

Eventually, the pain died down and it was more of a dull roar than a burning fire. My throat hurt and I was breathing heavily. I was in a daze and just trying to not lose my mind when I see the cause of my pain stand up. “Hmmm. Seems like I’ve made a mess of ye. I guess I should do the proper thing and get ye cleaned up and take care of those wounds.” The tone of his voice doesn’t match his words and I cry harder. I hurt too much to move and could only wait to see what his next move was.

The pipes gurgle as the shower turns on and warm, soft water falls on me. It hurts the cuts but washes the salt out and that makes me sigh with some relief. I’m just starting to relax when the water shuts off and Anti walks back over. My body instantly starts to shake with fear and my mind is running through every possible scenario that could happen next.

Rubbing his hands together, he crouches back down and looks at what he did, poking a few of them for some sort of reaction. Each flinch and cry makes him smile more. He holds up his pointer finger where I can see it, small sparks of electric flying off it. “Now that the cuts are clean it’s time ta close them up. I suggest ye hold onta something cause this is goin ta hurt a lot.”

I scream louder than ever when he puts a finger to one of the cuts. 

Stop I’m sorry Can anyone hear me  
Help Please I don’t want to die  
Someone Pain Stop  
Anyone It hurts Save me 

It feels like flames being dragged across the cut as Anti uses electricity to cauterize the wounds. I only make it through two wounds before my mind shuts down to save me from the pain.

I wake up in a brightly lit room tied to another damn chair. This time, it’s a simple wooden chair. My arms are tightly tied to the back of it with rope. I start struggling to break free from the chair while I look around the room.

The room looks empty except for a few buckets near me. I know exactly where I am and what’s going to happen and my body starts to tremble. A hand briefly touches my shoulder making me flinch and gasp.

Dark’s chuckle fills the small room and it reminds me of Anti causing my body to shake harder. Dark stands in front of me and gives me a small smile, giving me a once over. “I see Anti has been busy.” One of his hands plays with my shirt prompting me to look down and see that my front was exposed. “This will makes things so much easier.”

I struggle against my bonds again only for them to tighten more. “Let me go, please. I don’t want to be apart of your stupid games anymore. I’m tired,” and I was. My body and mind had been through so much in such a short amount of time that I feared I wouldn’t be able to take much more. I had told Anti I would never give in but this kind of torture could destroy all but the strongest person. My body had never been trained for this kind of thing and as much as it pained me, I was weakening fast.

“I’m afraid that, that isn’t possible. I told you last time that I need you to obey me. Unless something has changed on your part, and I doubt it has, then this will continue.” Dark shook his head as he clasped his hands behind his back.

Tears streamed down my face, “ANTI WILL KILL ME!” 

Dark gave me a cold stare and slowly walked around me. “No. He will break, shatter, and fracture you but he will not kill you. You are too important for us to kill. Not when we having been planning this for so very long. You are a beautiful flower that will be deprived of everything needed to survive but we will not let you wilt until you fade to nothing. It’s a fine balance that we have perfected.” 

He stopped walking when he got to the buckets. He put his hand in one and when he pulled it out, it was dripping with some kind of liquid. “This is a concoction of various acids that will burn and eat through your skin. You need only say a few words and you’ll never have to know what it feels like.” He walked closer to me, the bucket trailing after him like a puppy.

I knew the cost of my words and yet I said them anyway. “Go to hell you piece of shit.”

“Very well.” Dark trailed his fingers across my face and the burn was instantaneous. I could feel the acid seeping into my cheek and I shrieked. 

They say that burns are the worst kind of pain and they weren’t lying. My cheek was on fire and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I was a hysterical mess and Dark had only just begun. He continued to dip his hand in the substance and trail his fingers over any exposed skin. He did this for what seemed like hours, never losing patience as the acid ate away at my flesh and more. The pain was so intense that I started to vomit until I was dry heaving. I finally passed out from the pain though that was no small comfort because I knew more torture awaited me.

Four days was all it took. Four days of nonstop torture. When I was awake Anti would beat, drown, electrocute, and cut me. I was deprived of food and drink while he would eat takeout and drink shakes in front of me. By the second day, I was too weak to move due to blood loss and he just kept me in the tub so that the mess was easier to clean up. I lost all concept of time because I never truly slept and Anti was always there to torture me when I was awake.

When I passed out, Dark was there with far more creative ways to hurt me. Sometimes he would weave my nightmares as though I had escaped, only to crush my hopes and destroy me further. Other times he would stretch out time so it felt like years passed. Anti broke my body but Dark shattered my mind. It was a vicious cycle that I couldn’t escape from and it left me an absolute mess. I wished for death and they refused to give it to me. In the end, I succumbed just like they knew I would.

I woke up to find myself lying in a field of flowers. It was a scene that I had already seen before and I just stayed where I was, looking up at the fake sky. I could no longer cry and I was numb from everything that happened. I never even bothered to move. I’m not sure how long time passed before Dark showed up. He stood over me looking down. When I did nothing, he crouched beside me and gently brushed his fingers against my cheek. I didn’t respond to this small gesture, only stared at the sky.

“You could have prevented all of this if you had simply given in when we made our deal. Your loyalty to your friends is admirable but was it worth it? You lasted longer than others have but everyone has a breaking point. It seems you have reached yours.” Dark sounded almost sad like he was sorry that this had happened. He sighed, “Are you finally ready to let me in?”

I slowly looked over at him and gave a small nod. He waved a hand over my eyes, “Sleep. Anti will take care of the next step.” My eyes closed and I fell into the abyss of nothingness. Before I was completely lost to nothingness, I heard Dark whisper, “What a shame to break such spirit. Your greatest weakness is your loyalty.”

For the first time in days, I was able to truly rest and I embraced it completely. I had no dreams and for that I was thankful.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My sobbing slowed and my voice grew quiet. “I did something I should have never done. I tried to fix it so I ran. Dark and An-,” it felt like someone had cut off my air supply and I tried to fight against this invisible hold by clawing at my throat.  
> “Now let’s not give away all our secrets. Let’s leave some things as a surprise.” Dark’s voice whispered through my mind. I whimpered as my lungs struggled for oxygen.  
> “Bri? What about Dark? What’s happening?” Matt knew something was happening but couldn’t figure out exactly what it was.  
> The hold on my throat disappeared and I gasped for air. When I was breathing normally, I turned to Matt and whispered. “I’m sorry, the person you are trying to reach is no longer available. Perhaps, you should leave the lights on when you try to redial. Please put your tray into its upright position and turn off all electronics when possible. There is a storm coming and it would be best if you and your friend are prepared for all possibilities.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for taking so long to post this chapter. I switched jobs and went on vacation for a week. So, I'm still adjusting to my new work schedule. I hope you enjoy this. There are going to be many many more egoes to show up after this chapter so I hope you're ready for the wild ride that's coming.

I woke up from the best night’s sleep in I can’t remember how long. I refused to open my eyes and just relished in this feeling. I wasn’t sure if the torture was going to continue after giving in to Dark, so I wasn’t going to enjoy this as much as possible. I was still tired but that wasn’t a surprise, one little restful sleep wasn’t going to do much in my state.  
Without opening my eyes, I could tell I was in bed, warm from the covers over me. It felt like years since I was last in a bed and warm. I knew that any second Anti would come in and yank me out of bed to continue our daily routine but I couldn’t care less anymore. I was numb from everything and could no longer feel emotions like hope, anger, or even sadness.  
“I don’t know, Matt. She’s been sleeping for a couple hours now so it’s not like I can ask her. One minute I’m minding my own business recording a video and then the next all the electricity is going crazy in my house.” How did I get to Mark’s house? Is this what Dark meant when he said Anti would take care of the next step? Mark was obviously talking about me but who was Matt?  
I decided that I had nothing better to do than eavesdrop. It’s not like I could get up if I tried, Anti made sure of that. “Don’t let Stephanie come. The more people involved the more dangerous it gets. I even sent Amy and Chica to her mom’s house until I get things figured out.” Mark’s voice sounded desperate and unsure like he didn’t know what to do. His voice rising at times in frustration. “I already told you that I don’t know. I can’t even begin to describe how she looks; you’ll have to see for yourself. No just bring what you think we might need. I have to go and check on her. I’ll see you in a few hours.”  
There was silence after that. I heard a sigh and then glasses clinking. I’m not sure what happened after that because I fell back into a dreamless sleep. 

The sound of people talking woke me up. It sounded like it was coming from right outside the room. I must have made a sound because I heard Mark call my name quietly. Opening my eyes, I found I was in the guest bedroom that I had stayed in before. I had to blink a few times so my eyes could adjust to the light and when my vision adjusted, I saw Mark standing near me. He looked at me with such concern that for a moment I almost believed it was him but I had been fooled too many times to trust this image.  
“Hey Bri, I brought you something to drink. Do you think you can sit up or do you need help?” Mark's voice was soft and held such concern that I would have wept if I could. Instead, I tried to sit up to appease him. I was so weak that I couldn’t even lift my head and it made me panic. What if he hurt me because I didn’t do what he wanted? I struggled as hard as I could to lift my head before giving up and accepting whatever happened.  
Mark put up his hands, “Hey, hey. It’s ok if you can’t. Is it going to hurt if I helped you up?” Mark started pulling down the covers to my waist and I shivered violently.  
I opened my mouth to speak but my throat was so raw from all the screaming that I couldn’t get any words to come out. I was just barely able to shake my head. Mark seemed to sigh in relief. “I asked a friend to come over and help, I hope you don’t mind but I had no clue what to do.” That seemed to be a signal because someone else walked into the room.  
I recognized him as another YouTuber that Mark would occasionally do projects with. So, the Matt he was talking to was Matpat. “I still think she needs to go to the hospital. I’m not a doctor but she looks dehydrated. Who knows what they’ve done to her. She needs professional help that we can’t give her.” He walked over to Mark and took the cup that Mark was holding.  
“And just how do you think I’m supposed to explain to them what happened to her? I’ll be the first suspect and they’ll lock me up in the nuthouse. She’ll be even more vulnerable if I’m locked away.” Dark started yelling at Matt and that scared me. Matt noticed the expression right away and pointed at me.  
“You’re scaring her, Mark. Look at her and tell me you think this is the best option.” Matt’s voice was soft as he watched Mark start to lift my torso. I flinched when he touched me, an instinctive reflex.  
After Mark had lifted me into a sitting position, he sat behind me. I could feel him at my back and that made me weary. I had no idea what he was about to do and not being able to see him made me terrified. I started to shake, part of it from terror, and part of it was just because I was cold. Matt noticed and started to move towards me, I think it was to cover me up but I flinched away and he stopped moving.  
“Sorry. I was just going to cover you up. I promise I’m not going to hurt you. If Mark won’t take you to the hospital then we need to get fluids in you. I have no idea what you went through but we won’t let them hurt you anymore. I’m going to give you a drink now ok?” When I just stare him down, Matt moves forward and raises the glass to my lips.  
After being denied food and drink, the ice cold water going down my throat was like paradise in a glass. I sucked down the water greedily and after what seemed like only seconds, the water was taken away. “No. Please.” My voice was just a whisper and it hurt to say that much but I needed more. My body craved it like a flower to the sun.  
Matt looked at me with pity and hesitated a moment before setting the glass on the nightstand. “I’m sorry to do this but with you this dehydrated, it’s best if you only take a small sip at a time. If you drink too much at once it’ll make you sick.”  
Mark moved a bunch of pillows behind me until it was no longer him supporting me. Once he has me propped up, he stands to where I can see him. “I know you’ve been through hell but can you tell us what’s happened so we know how to help you?”  
This sounded like a trap. Dark had done this many times before. Dark would pretend to be Mark and try to get me to talk about everything that happened. When I did he would reveal himself and hurt me in so many imaginative ways. I wouldn’t fall for his tricks this time.  
I cleared my throat and it caused a coughing fit. Mark rushed to get the water and gave me a small drink. “Are you going to kill me? I’m sorry Dark, please don’t hurt me. I’ll do whatever you want. Please don’t hurt me.” My voice had given out but that didn’t stop me from repeating my apologies over and over again. Anything to prevent more pain from happening.  
Matt and Mark shared a look that I couldn’t decipher as one of them gave me another small sip. “Get some rest and I’ll be back to check in on you. If you want, I have a radio that I can play some music for you.” After giving him a blank stare, Mark sighed and repositioned me so I was laying back down. He tried turning off the light but I cried out making him quickly turned the light back on. Both of them left the room though I could hear them talking to each other outside the room.  
I was too tired to eavesdrop on them and quickly fell asleep. 

I found myself sitting in a chair that wasn’t the most comfortable. I wasn’t tied down which was very surprising and I actually had the strength to walk around. The area was completely dark which reminded me of the first few times Dark had brought me here. That immediately made me panic. If he brought me back here then he had plans to hurt me and I now wanted to avoid that as much as possible. I stayed in that chair, trying to make myself as small as possible. Maybe if I didn’t move or make a sound then I wouldn’t be noticed.  
I shivered as his voice floated to me from the darkness. “I see Anti has you right where we need you. Good. Things are moving along nicely.” Dark’s voice gradually grew closer to me until it was coming from right in front of me. There was silence for so long that I thought I had been forgotten or dismissed but when I looked up; Dark was sitting in a chair of his own just staring at me.  
I ducked my head back down in fear of those expressionless eyes. I was so very afraid of what was going to happen to me here.  
“Are you afraid?” He sounded amused and I only nodded my head in response. “So, I have your fear but do I have your obedience? Look at me.” I only hesitated for a second before looking at Dark. I avoided his eyes, staring at a spot on his shoulder. “That is very good. Though that is a simple enough task. Let’s try something a little harder.”  
Dark seemed to think for a minute and then a grin of pure wicked delight light up his face. “Come here, Bri.”  
My anxiety was high as I slowly stood and walked over to Dark. He looked so relaxed as he lounged in his chair. The complete opposite of how I was feeling. It seemed to take forever but in reality, it was only a few seconds and I was standing in front of Dark. He stood and played with a strand of my hair, “In here you remain strong and healthy but out there your body is frail and weak. Now that I have your obedience, I need you healthy. I’ll lend you my strength until your own body can heal itself. Then the real games begin. Be warned though. As you gain your strength back do not think for a moment that you can disobey me. Try and we will waste time retraining you until you are but a husk of a person. Do you understand?”  
My eyes widened as his words started to sink in. The entire reason I had run away was to avoid this part of Dark’s plan and not only had I been forced to come back, but I would have to do this as obediently as possible in order to avoid being hurt even worse than before.  
I nodded and that had Dark giving me one of his charming smiles. “Are you ready to let me in?” That sounded like a loaded question but with wide eyes I gave a small nod. The hand that had been playing with my hair moved to the back of my head. Grabbing a handful, he jerked my head back causing a whimper to escape my open mouth. Sinister laughter echoed from everywhere and nowhere all at once as Dark bent down towards me.  
He stopped before his face touched mine. His eyes completely consumed by the darkness that he controls. “Let’s spread a little darkness on the light, shall we?” At that moment I realized what he was about to do and tried to back away. His grip in my hair grew painfully tight and he devoured my mouth with his. I felt something flow into me as he kissed me.  
Whatever was coming from Dark slide down my throat and tasted like a starless sky. I felt as though I was swallowing the darkness whole and I could feel it changing me. I went from trying to escape the kiss to melting into it completely. My body relaxed and I found myself kissing him back with vigor. The hand gripping my hair slowly let go and his presence disappeared. When I opened my eyes Dark was gone and in his place was a full-length mirror.  
Dark was gone but that didn’t mean I was alone. I was about to wander around in this hellish place when my reflection caught my eye. Something seemed off about it and I walked nearer for a closer examination.  
The first thing I noticed was my eyes had changed. No longer were they the hazelnut brown with the flecks of green. Now they had been consumed by the black that Dark was known for. I closed my eyes hoping they would change back but they remained the same. When I moved my hand, I noticed that my nails were pitch black and much sharper. The black seemed to leak onto my fingers and spread to my hands. My long, faded black hair seemed to hold the darkness of space and moved to an invisible breeze.  
The stance my reflection had taken on no longer resembled my own. Instead of horror, it was relaxed and content with itself. She/me held up a hand in front of her/my face and gave a chuckle that sounded like me but held an echo of something far more sinister and masculine. “This body will do nicely. A little shorter than I like but an otherwise good fit. This is going to be so much fun.”  
I/she stepped through the mirror with an elegance that I could never have pulled off and stood in front of me. I started screaming in horror when she/me put her/my hands behind her/my back in the same fashion as Dark. The last thing I saw was a wicked grin forming on my double's face before everything went black. 

I shot up like a bullet still screaming. Stumbling out of bed, I ran to the bathroom and turned on the light. I stared at the mirror in disbelief when I saw that I no longer looked like I did in my dream. I looked different but that was because of the scars from Anti. My eyes and hair looked normal and when I looked at my hands, they were normal.  
“Bri, what’s wrong? Why di-“ Mark’s breathy voice sounded from the doorway and when I turned to him, his face looked pale. I realized then that I shouldn’t be able to get up, let alone run. I felt like I was at half strength and that didn’t make me happy. Dark had given me some of his strength like he had said he would.  
Matt’s head popped in the doorway and he started mumbling under his breath. It was too low for me to hear but Mark shook his head. “Bri, why don’t we get you back in bed. Since you look like you’re feeling better I can fix you something to eat.”  
I started shaking my head and backing away. I was wrong. Everything was wrong. Dark was gonna hurt Mark using me as his weapon. At this moment I regret everything that had led me to here.  
I didn’t realize I was still moving until I fell over the edge of the tub and hit my head against the wall. Mark rushed into the bathroom to help me up until I put my hand up. Slowly curling into a ball, I started choking up. “It’s my fault. This is all my fault. I wish I’d never met you.”  
Matt sat next to the tub and watched as I had a nervous breakdown. I thought I had run out of tears but I guess with my newfound strength also came the ability to cry. I sobbed and tried to make myself as small as possible. “Uh, Bri? What happened? What is your fault? Is something coming?” He tried to make his voice soft but there was something analytical about it.  
My sobbing slowed and my voice grew quiet. “I did something I should have never done. I tried to fix it so I ran. Dark and An-,” it felt like someone had cut off my air supply and I tried to fight against this invisible hold by clawing at my throat.  
“Now let’s not give away all our secrets. Let’s leave some things as a surprise.” Dark’s voice whispered through my mind. I whimpered as my lungs struggled for oxygen.  
“Bri? What about Dark? What’s happening?” Matt knew something was happening but couldn’t figure out exactly what it was.  
The hold on my throat disappeared and I gasped for air. When I was breathing normally, I turned to Matt and whispered. “I’m sorry, the person you are trying to reach is no longer available. Perhaps, you should leave the lights on when you try to redial. Please put your tray into its upright position and turn off all electronics when possible. There is a storm coming and it would be best if you and your friend are prepared for all possibilities.”  
Matt’s eyes widened and he looked like he was going to open his mouth before I shook my head and motioned towards my ears. He nodded and looked towards Mark before looking back at me again. “Um ok. Why don’t Mark and I go fix you something to eat and you get cleaned up? You can come down when you’re ready.”  
Mark tries to protest but Matt ushers him out of the doorway with a hushing noise without a backward glance. I can hear him whispering to my friend but soon they are too far away for me to hear even that.  
I sat in the tub for a few moments to collect myself. Too much was happening and I felt overwhelmed. This was a disaster and I wished that I had never made that deal with Dark. My selfishness may have cost me my best friend and I couldn’t live with myself if that was the case.  
Sighing, I picked myself up and walked over to the sink. After throwing some water on my face I stare into the mirror. The person in the mirror wasn’t me and that was scary. Oh, the reflection looked like me but it held a more confident and arrogant stance than I felt. It stared at me, as close to the glass as I was, and gave me a mocking smile. Its eyes turned pitch black and winked at me before walking off to the side out of view.  
Knees trembling, I turn and make for the kitchen. The sound of a hushed argument had me stopping on the stairs. The noises ceased after I cleared my throat and I continued to the kitchen. Mark was standing at the counter with various items for sandwiches. He looked at me, some emotion flitted across his eyes before I could catch it, and then his face was a mask. He continued with what he was doing and completely ignored me. It hurt but after that performance, I can’t really blame him. I’d probably react the same way.  
Matt was sitting at the island opposite of where Mark was working. He had already made his food and was digging in when he patted the seat next to him. My head was low and my anxiety high as I made my way to the seat. Just as I sat down Mark put a plate in front of me with a giant sandwich on it. “There’s plenty if you want more.” Mark sort of mumbled at me.  
I just nodded and started to eat the food. It was great and exactly how I liked it. I was starving but could only eat about 3 small bites before I felt like I was going to throw up. I might look like I was better but after having been deprived of food for so long, my stomach couldn’t handle much. Matt watched as I slowly started to pull the crust off the sandwich and sort of play with my food. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him give Mark a pointed look.  
Mark cleared his throat and I looked up at him. He looked nervous which made me even more nervous and I was wondering if I was about to get in trouble. “We need to talk about what happened Bri. Something happened to you and I can’t fix it if I don’t know what’s going on. I found you passed out on my couch yesterday after not being able to get in touch with you for a week, near death and now you look almost like nothing happened. I need answers.”  
I knew this was going to happen but I didn’t know what Dark would let me say. I stared at my plate and tried to shrink in on myself as if making myself as small as possible would make them forget about me. Something gently touched my back, forcing a surprised scream out of me as I jump off the stool. Matt is still sitting but he has both hands up. Mark looks shocked and confused but the pity on Matt’s face almost makes me cry.  
“I’m sorry. I was just putting a hand on your shoulder. I was trying to comfort you, not scare you.” His voice was soothing. I was about to say something when I felt something weird happen.  
It felt as though I got sucked to the back of my mind and was chained to the darkness of my mind. All my senses worked but I could no longer control anything. I could feel my back straighten up as my posture became rigid and languid all at once. My hand ran through my hair almost pulling it all to the side. My body walked in such a liquid and graceful way that it felt wrong. I would never be able to pull that off and I struggled against the chains that held me.  
My body glided into the seat I had been occupying earlier and broke off a piece of the sandwich. I took a small bite and a blissful sigh escaped my lips. My mouth opened and it sounded like me talking, but the words were wrong. The speech pattern was off and the words were as elegant as the walk. “Yes, I suppose you both should be concerned. The shock must have been dreadful at the sight of Br- me. Poor Marky, how that dreadful ball of uncertainty must sit in the pit of your stomach, eating away at you.”  
My eyes turned to look at Matt, who looked pale and slightly green. A devilish grin settled on my face, “Oh Mathew. Rushed over here like a valiant knight only to find yourself helplessly outmatched. Tell me, how is dear Stephanie and Ollie doing? What a shame you left them…unprotected.” Matt turned paler and ran out of the room, leaving only Mark and me in the room.  
I struggled against the chains that had me bound and trapped within my own mind. I needed to get control back before Dark could do anything worse than taunt my friend. It was like trying to fight against some an immovable force. When I paid attention to what was happening outside my body I screamed. One hand was covered in black wispy shadows while the other was wrapped around Mark’s neck. He was lifted slightly off the ground and struggling to breathe. His face turning a mottled purple color.  
I screamed and fought against the chains as hard as I could. I could feel them weakening and giving way as I pulled. The harder I pulled against them, the more they gave way until they finally snapped. A scream ripped out of my mouth as took control once more. I let go of Mark and fell backward in my scramble to get away from him. The sound of him coughing and gasping for air was miserable for me. Knowing that it was by my hands he almost died.  
“Bri? Is it you?” Mark’s voice was hoarse and held such hope that I felt horrid for what was going to happen.  
Without looking at him I spoke, “Run. Take Matt and run as far as you can. I can only hold him off for so long before he comes back. I’m not strong like you guys. I…. can never take back what I did but I want you to know that I’m sorry. I tried to not let them break me. I...” A strong tug almost pulled me out but I managed to hold on. Looking at Mark, I screamed, “Run!!!! Run and never look back!!!”  
I could feel my eyes start to turn black as I held on for dear life. Mark looked at me with such sadness that I nearly lost my hold before he turned and ran for Matt. I curled up on myself as I struggled to give them time. My breathing coming as gasps as it became harder and harder to hold onto myself. My focus completely set on staying in control.  
I knew the exact moment the balance shifted in his favor. My fingers started to twitch and the corners of my mouth shifted into a smile. I was growing weak and it would be a matter of seconds before I was locked back up in my mind and Dark was in control.  
My eyes closed and when I opened them, I found myself not only chained but in a large cage. Slow clapping draws my attention to Dark as he walks closer to me. “I must say that you are rather annoying in your persistent loyalty. We beat and broke you until you were near death and yet when you see the slightest bit of trouble headed towards those you love; you fight like a cornered animal and somehow manage to break free. I’ve taken precautions to prevent you from interfering again. It would be so much more pleasant if you would just stop resisting but I see now that will never happen. Perhaps, when you see your friend’s dead by your own hands, you will truly lose your hope and will to fight back.”  
“Or maybe I’ll break free yet again and yeet myself out a window so fucking high that you’ll never be able to fix me.” I hissed at Dark as I tried to lunge at him. The chains made a lot of noise but never moved.  
It was unsettling to hear him talk in front of me and then hear the echo of his words come out of my mouth. That high ringing noise only added to the strangeness making it hard to focus. “Your courage and bravery is certainly something to be commended but I’m afraid that you won’t be breaking out of here anytime soon. Now be a good girl and stay. I have things to do and people to hurt.” He vanished before I could say anything else. 

I fought against my chains but this time there was no give. No amount of struggling broke these new chains. I screamed in anguish and fell to my knees as hopelessness crushed me. I could only hope that I had given Mark and Matt enough of a head start.  
I watched from my prison as Dark started wandering around the house. Matt had figured out part of my warning and had started the process of unplugging everything electrical. Dark chuckled as he took in the various cords strewn haphazardly around the floor. He walked to the tv and started plugging in the cords. The tv turned on with a crackle, white noise blaring from the screen.  
Dark brought my hand up and shadows erupted from my palm. He caressed the side of the tv and shadows crawled over the screen. “Anti, it’s time to come out. Some interference was had and now He is on the run.”  
Nothing flashy happened like the last time Anti showed up. The screen flickered green and then Anti was glitching out of the tv. He looked me up and down with licked his lips. Pain was promised in his eyes and it made me shiver and tremble in fear even though I was “safe” in my own mind.  
Dark frowned, “Don’t even think about it or I will trap you in that body with no limbs.”  
“Oh, it’s ye, Dark. I was hopin fer some more time with our lovely Bri. This is a good look fer ye, ye don’t look like ye have a stick up yer ass anymore.” Anti stood up a little taller as he realized the size difference and gave such a mischievous smirk that it was obvious he was thinking up something dangerous.  
He took a step closer and then I could feel his hand ruffling my hair. Dark slapped his hand away and looked up at him. “I don’t have time for this you insufferable twit. Due to Bri’s interference, I now have to amend my plans.”  
“Don’t think that just because ye are in her body doesn’t mean I’m afraid ta fuck ye up. Ye aren’t the boss of me so get off yer high horse and quit acting like it. I’m only helping ye out because of yer promise.” Anti snarls at Dark but takes a step back.  
An exasperated sigh escapes my lips as I watch these two fight. “Can you just get it over with and kill me already? You two sound like toddlers fighting over who is going down the slide first.” If this is what happens when these two are in the same room together then I think I’d rather just be killed.  
Dark cocks my head for a moment. “Bri is correct. We have much more pressing matters at hand. HE has recruited Matt for help and now, because of Bri, they are on the run and I don’t know exactly where they are. I need you to find them and observe where they run to. Do not make your presence known. Just report back what you find out. I need to make some final preparations before I’m ready.”  
A pout appears on Anti’s face and then he gives a dramatic sigh before disappearing back into the tv in a shower of green sparks. “Always with the theatrics.” Dark sighs turns and walks over to a shadow-ridden portion of my living room wall.  
I gasp as we step inside the inky darkness. Nothing should surprise me at this point but Dark seems to always have a few tricks up his sleeve. We continue to walk further and further into the vast and never ending darkness although it feels as though we never mood. Finally, we come across what looks like a science lab.  
Standing at one of the tables is a man about my height with short brown hair and wearing a long, white lab coat. He seemed to have a slim build and was very focused on some sort of chemical experiment. He only acknowledged us when we were standing across from him and that’s when I got a good look at his face. I had stared into this face just hours ago except the person in front of me had one red and one green eye.  
“You better have a good reason for pulling me away from my work, Dark. I was on the verge of a breakthrough and now the experiment is most likely ruined due to this delay!” The scientist started pacing back and forth, glaring at us.  
Dark smiled and leaned against the metal table, not bothered by the glare. “Thank you for showing up on such short notice. I promise that this will all be worth it and the rewards will be great. I have need of your intellect and your toys and once I’m finished you can resume your work.”  
The man stopped, his eyebrow raised and a sneer curling one side of his smile, making him look nothing like the person I had come to know. “I see from the body you are currently wearing, that your plan is finally coming into play. If that is the case then the predetermined deal has now been sealed and I am at your services. I am still working out some of the kinks but I think I’ve found a solution to your problem.” He seemed to think for a moment, as though organizing his thoughts before continuing.  
“I need the original hosts relatively unharmed. The more damaged they are, the harder it will be to see the effects. I also need you to gather a few items for me that is harder for me to get. If you can do that then I should be able to work everything out and you’ll get what you want.”  
Dark gave a slight bow to the scientist, “Thank you, Madpat. Hopefully, it won’t take long.”  
Without a further glance, we turn and walk back into the darkness that we had come from.


	8. We need help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt struggles to come to terms with what is happening while Mark tries to figure out a plan.

MARK'S POV

“What the hell was that!” Matt yelled as we drove away from the house. His voice cracked at the end, but I couldn’t blame him after what just happened. Thankfully, he could drive because we did not need to draw attention to ourselves right now.

I, on the other hand, was struggling to form any sort of coherent sentence. All I could think about was Bri’s eyes turning black as she screamed at me to run. It was my fault she had to deal with this. The moment Dark started showing any interest in her, I should have made her go home. It was my selfishness and stupidity that put her in danger, and I’ll never forgive myself for it. Matt’s shouting pulled me out of my thoughts and had me focusing on the problem at hand.

I turned to look at his face. He was wide-eyed and breathing heavily as he drove. “That was my best friend trying to give us enough time to escape. That was my best friend fighting off Dark long enough that we weren’t…..” My voice trailed off as I was slowly dragged into my own pit of despair. I should never have made Matt come over. Now, he was in danger too. I kept making stupid mistakes, and now I wasn’t entirely sure how to fix the problem.

“What are we supposed to do about that!? I don’t know how to fight off anything like that. I don’t know if you know this, but I am a drama kid, not a fighter! I’m the brains, not the brawns.” Matt was quickly losing his shit, and I wasn’t entirely sure how to fix that. He was turning down different roads at random, with no clear destination in mind.

I spotted a park and pointed at it, a small thought coming to mind. “Pull in there. I need….I need to think for a moment.” 

He gave me a frightened look but started making his way into the parking lot. “We need to come up with some kind of plan. Br- Dark knows about Stephanie and Oliver! What if he tries to go after them?”

I shook my head as we pulled into a spot, and Matt turned the car off. “You’re not the one he’s after. The only reason he came after Bri was because she’s my closest friend. You aren’t even a blip on his map. He was trying to scare you enough to leave me on my own.” I left Matt sitting in the car, his head planted against the steering wheel.

I paced through the parking lot, muttering to myself, as I tried to come up with some kind of plan. Anti was working with Dark, and that was out of character for him because the two hated each other. That meant I was in a lot of trouble and couldn’t rely on Sean for help. I paused for a moment before slapping the palm of my hand against my head. I am such a dumbass. Anti wasn’t the only ego Sean had. Some of them were even helpful to have around.

I put a hand in the front pocket of my jeans, fishing around for a particular item. I had started carrying it around again after the last encounter with Dark. I finally found it in my back pocket and held it in the palm of my hand. It was a small gold coin that shimmered in the bright sunlight. The difference between this coin and a normal one is that it had a white cat mask on the front with ruby red eyes. The back had a black wand.

Matt looked at me as I slammed the door shut. “Turn off your phone. Turn off anything that has electricity. Anti is probably looking for us, and that is the easiest way for him to do it.” I took my phone out and did the same. 

Matt looked at me afterward with a frown on his face. “Did you come up with a plan because I’m at a loss. I don’t know enough about either of them, aside from what I’ve seen in the videos. I didn’t even take those seriously BECAUSE I THOUGHT THEY WERE FAKE!” It would seem that he was starting to panic again. Before he could get going, I showed him the coin.

“Anti and Dark aren’t the only egos that are real. Sean has a few that are very helpful.” Matt snatched the coin and started to examine it closely. “One of them is a magician named Marvin. He gave me this coin and told me to use it if Anti gets out again. It’ll help me get in contact with Marvin. He’s the only one that can help us right now.” I’d only talked to the magician once and was skeptical that he could help against anyone as powerful as Dark or Anti.

Matt looked at me with as much skepticism as I felt. He held the small coin up and waved it around. “Mark, you’re telling me this thing is supposed to help us contact a magician. A magician that is going to help us take down an electric body-snatching killer and some weird demon dude? Is that what you’re telling me? How does this make sense? None of this makes sense. I’ve lost my mind. I hit my head and am unconscious at home right now.” His voice was incredulous and sarcastic at the same time. He was definitely in denial.

I can’t say I blamed the guy. I thought I was going crazy when I first started having dreams about Dark. I snatched the coin from Matt’s hand and got out of the car again. This time Matt got out too. “I know what it sounds like, but just think. If Dark and Anti are real, how many other egos are real too? Are they all real? Can they all break through like these two, or are they stuck...where ever they are? If they’re all real, then we are in some serious trouble because I have like 20, and most are terrible.” 

Matt followed beside me as I made my way to the small bathroom facility by the parking lot. He was silent for a few seconds before I heard him gasp. Looking over, I see him drag his hands down his face in horror. He looked at me, “If what you’re saying is true, then I am in serious trouble. My followers.... They...after a few videos, they created...Oh, god, no.” He looked so devastated, but I had no idea what he was talking about.

He cleared his throat and tried again. “A while ago, I saw pictures popping up. It was after the Fnaf musical we did. I didn’t think anything about it, and it seemed to die down. After you and Sean came out with your ego videos, my fans went crazy and created an ego for me. I didn’t encourage or discourage it, but that’s not what my channel is about. If what you’re telling me is true, then there is a very good possibility that I have a genius scientist ego out there somewhere. I think they call him Madpat or AntiMatter.”  
I opened the door to the bathroom and walked into the dimly lit room. Thankfully it was empty, and I locked the door behind us. No need for a stranger to get caught up in this mess. “I hope for your sake that this guy isn’t a horrible ego like Dark or Anti. Otherwise, he’ll make himself known to you eventually.” 

Standing at one of the sinks, I look into the mirror and hold up the coin. I was pressing it against the glass with the mask side to the glass. After a few moments, Matt gets impatient and opens his mouth but stops. My reflection starts to shimmer, and the mirror seems to absorb the coin. I ignore Matt’s sputterings and focus on what is happening in front of me. My reflection slowly changes into someone entirely.

Marvin’s blue eyes stared at me from behind his white cat mask. Tufts of his forest green hair spilled over the mask. All I saw was Sean, and I almost broke down into tears. I drew in a deep breath, “Anti is back and has teamed up with Dark, who is currently possessing my best friend.”  
The words rushed out of my mouth like a tsunami.

Marvin frowned and got a little closer to the glass. “That’s not possible. They would rather die than work tagether.” He paused for a moment, stroking his beard, before continuing. “Dark would have ta offer Anti something he couldn’t resist in order ta get him ta cooperate. How long has this been goin on?” Marvin turns around and starts to pace. A thick black cape was attached to his hoodie flowing in the wind as he walks.

“I’m not sure. I didn’t even know he was back until everything in my house started going crazy, and I found Bri lying on my couch, half dead. Suddenly, Dark is trying to possess her, and she is fighting him off so we can get away.” Marvin’s head snaps in my direction, and he starts looking around.

“We? Who is this we ye speak of? Who’s with ye?” He walks close to the mirror again as he continues to look around.

Matt gulps and pales as he looks at me. I step back so that he has space to stand in front of the mirror. Marvin’s eyes widen in shock before turning into a glare. “It would seem that a great many things are happening in yer world and mine.”

“What...what do you mean?” Matt nervously asks.

“Yer appearance in this means that the rumors I’ve heard about are somewhat true.”

“I still have no clue what you’re talking about. How do I have anything to do with this? I haven’t done anything besides try to help Mark fix Bri.” Matt starts to gesture towards me with confusion on his face.

Marvin looks at me, and I shake my head. “I didn’t tell him anything. He would never have known this much if it wasn’t for the fact that I stupidly asked for his help. I had no idea what was happening otherwise, I would have contacted you right away and left Matt alone.” I couldn’t help but berate myself over and over again in my head. 

Matt looked at both of us, his voice much steadier and demanding now. “Tell me what? I need to know what’s going on. This affects me now just as much as you, Mark. What if Dark goes after my family like he implied?”

Marvin sighed and gave me a pointed look. “I don’t have time to explain everything now. Ye’ll have ta ask yer friend about it later. I will answer one question, though. Ye bein in the middle of this means that the unsettling rumors I’ve heard about AntiMatter are true. A while ago, rumors started spreading that Dark made a deal with a scientist. No one knows what the deal was, but word got around that the scientist was called Madpat...or AntiMatter. Nobody could agree on what name was correct.

What they could agree on was that he was a genius in his experiments and inventions. I’ve never seen any of the stuff he supposedly was doing, so I thought someone was tryin ta frighten everyone. Hell, I thought it might have been Anti tryin ta cause trouble, but I never found anything. Apparently, I was wrong, and this is a much bigger problem than I realized.”

“You mean to tell me that he exists… That is a real thing that is happening. Right this second. Madpat exists. Because, why not? Obviously, I’m still asleep and having a crazy dream, and any moment, Oliver is going to wake me.” Matt had finally cracked. He was having a mental breakdown that no one had time for. I gently nudged him over, and he blindly accepted it.

He walked over to the far wall by the door and sank to the ground, still muttering to himself. I looked at Marvin, who had a sympathetic look on his face. The pity in his eyes made me feel even guiltier for bringing Matt into this. My shoulders sank as the voice in my head got louder, repeating over and over again that it was all my fault.

“Ye should have contacted me sooner. The moment Anti started showing up or Dark focused his interest on yer friend. We could have been prepared and shut them down before it became too bad.” Marvin gently told me. “Do ye have anywhere safe ye can stay for a few days while I prepare some things?”

I sank in on myself as his words hit me hard. I had fucked up bad, and no matter how I looked at it, this was something that could have been avoided if I had only listened to reason sooner. I shook my head, “Dark went after Bri for a reason. He may have sent Anti after us, and I don’t want to put anyone else in danger.” My words barely more than a whisper.

“This should keep Anti from finding ye. Keep it on ye, and it should disrupt most electric frequencies that Anti can use. It can only do so much, so try and take any precautions ye can.” Marvin held up a small cat statue with a diamond, club, heart, and spade on it. “Keep this coin with ye. When it starts ta glow, that means I’m ready. Hold it against a large mirror if ye can find one.”

The mirror started shimmering, almost turning to liquid as three objects came through. I grabbed them before they fell and held up a small leather bracelet with a little black stone in the middle. “What’s this for?” I asked him.

“That’s ta calm yer friend’s mind. This is no time ta panic, and ye’ll need his help. Stay safe, Mark. If anything else happens, contact me immediately.” Marvin disappeared, and my reflection returned.

I put the small statue and coin in my pocket and walked over to Matt. He was still sitting on the ground, but now he had his knees up to his face with his head in his hands. I snapped the bracelet around one of his wrists, and the muttering slowly stopped. I squat down and pat his shoulder, causing him to lift his head and look at me. He didn’t look as panicked as before, but I could tell he was still coming to terms with what was happening.

“Hey man, we have to get going. We need to find a hotel to hole up in for the next few days and plan our next course of action.” I say as I stand up.

Matt nods his head and slowly starts to stand. “So, this is all pretty wild.” 

I open the bathroom door and walk towards the car. “Are you ok to drive, or do you need me to? I understand if you need a little more time to come to grips with the situation. I’m not sure how long that bracelet is going to work on you, and I don’t want you to be driving if it wears off.”

“I have no idea where to go next or what we need, so it’s probably best if you drive.” He hands me the keys and gets in on the passenger side.

Two hours later and we were in a cheap hotel. All the electronics were unplugged, but it was only 2 in the afternoon, so we had plenty of daylight to plan things out. Matt was in the bathroom, taking a shower while I got us some food. When I left the room, I could hear Matt trying to keep quiet as he had another breakdown. I thought it best to give him some privacy, and I drove to the store for a few things we might need.

This day seemed to worsen by the minute, and everything I did only seemed to make it worse. Maybe I should just let Dark take me? Would he leave Bri alone if I gave myself over to him willingly? It was all my fault she was in this mess. I could leave Matt safe in the hotel and just keep driving. Would that work?

I was dragged out of my thoughts when I returned to the hotel to the hotel room. Matt was sitting on a chair on the balcony. He was lost in thought and never even budged when I set the grocery bags on the table. I sighed and put on my best smile before making my way over to him. 

“I got some food for us. I don’t know how long we’re going to be stuck here, so I think it’s a good idea if we come up with a plan and get some rest.” I was leaning on the railing as I looked out over the city. I waited for a response, but I never got one, making me turn around to face Matt.

Matt continued to stare out at the city and never looked at me once. It was almost like he was in a trance….Or he was completely ignoring me after everything that had happened. “Hey man, I’m sorry. No matter what Marvin said, you can just walk away, and no one will think any worse of you. I’d understand completely if you did exactly that.” Still no acknowledgment.

I gave Matt a small pat on his shoulder as I walked by. If I were Matt, I would have walked away from this mess the moment things went to hell. He has a family he has to think about. Something I should have thought about before dragging him into this. 

I put the groceries away, grabbed the new clothes I had picked up, and went to the bathroom. I needed a shower, and then I needed to figure out a way to get Bri out of this mess. The shower felt nice after everything that had happened, but I was too far into my dark thoughts to enjoy it. I leaned against the shower wall and spiraled farther and farther into the darkness that is my mind.

I’m not sure how long I stood there wallowing in my own misery, but it wasn’t until my teeth started chattering that I realized the water was freezing. I got out of the shower and got dressed. My mood was dark, and I no longer felt hungry. It was too early to go to bed, but I was ready for this day to be over with. Matt was still on the balcony when I got out of the bathroom. I glanced at him before making my way to the fridge.

I put a can of coke and a sandwich on a plate beside Matt and left him alone. Hopefully, he’d come around, and he wouldn’t hate me too much. I sighed, sitting on the edge of my bed, and tried to think of anything that might help us. On the run from Dark and Anti didn’t leave me many options. I couldn’t come up with a single solution that would get us all out of this mess. I would just have to hope Marvin had something up his sleeve. I laid down and fell straight into the abyss of sleep.

“Mark, I told you it was an impossible jump!” Bri laughed as she gently shoved me. We were on the couch playing video games and I had just died….again. Sean started laughing hysterically at me while I attempted to make this stupid jump again. She was right, of course, it was an impossible jump to make.

“I am trying my best! Give me a break!” I mock glare at her as I jump off the cliff and die another terrible death. “Fuck! I give up. You try since you think I’m doin such a shitty job.” I smiled and tossed the controller at her.

“Yer such a baby, Mark. Anybody can see that’s the wrong way ta go. If ye weren’t so stubborn, ye’d see that.” Sean stuck his tongue out at me, and I laughed as I flipped him off.

“You guys want anything to drink? I’m going to get me something.” I stood up and headed towards the kitchen. Both of them said yes as I opened the fridge to grab a few drinks. “Are ya guys hungry?”

There was no answer, and I shrugged before taking the drinks back into the living room. The cans slip from my hands as I walk into a pitch-black hole that used to be my living room. At the very center of the black hole was Bri. She was in a large cage, chains around her wrists that came from the ground. She was screaming something at me, but the metal band around her mouth muffled the noise.

“BRI!?” I shouted and ran over to her. I shook the bars, reaching my arm in as far as I could to try and grab her. She reached out as far as she could, but the chains didn’t even let her get halfway. “Bri, are you ok?”

She struggled against the chains, and I saw one snap in half. She focused her attention on the other one, but it didn’t budge. Bri grew tired and instead started reaching for me again. Our fingertips touched, but that was as far as we could reach each other. We were both crying as I yelled promises at her.“Bri! I’ll get you out of here, I swear! Don’t give up. Please, whatever you do. Don’t give up.” 

Slow clapping comes from behind me. “What a touching reunion. Best friends reunited again.” I turned around to see Dark standing a short distance away. He had a condescending smirk on his face that made me want to punch him.

“Let her go, Dark. It’s me you want. Let her go, and I’ll do whatever you want.” My voice was harsh as I glared at him.

He stared at me for a moment as though he was thinking it over before he laughed and walked closer. “As tempting as that sounds, I think I’ll decline the offer. Seeing you in this much pain is much more amusing.”

“Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?!” I screamed in anger and frustration.

“Why?” His face contorted with rage, red and blue echoes of him shouting in his anger. “You want to know why I’m doing this? You promised you’d let me in! I waited patiently, but nothing happened! You shut me out, cast me away. Well, I’m tired of giving people a choice!”

The color drained from my face when I realized that all this might have been my fault from the very beginning. “I didn’t start this Dark. I thought you were a dream when I said that. I...I didn’t know that you really existed until later on. How was I supposed to know that some character my fans created was real? I didn’t know! I refuse to accept the blame for something I never did to you. I didn’t do anything to any of you except make a few videos!”

Dark snorted, actually snorted, and put his hands behind his back. The echoes occasionally shouted or grabbed their head. He had a calm demeanor, but those glimpses showed just how bad he was starting to crack. I was almost afraid to know what would happen when he lost all control. 

“If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t be like this. WE wouldn’t be like this! You are the reason we are in this accursed state of existence. I am tired of living in your shadow. I am tired of being trapped in a world that caters to the whims of others. I will no longer be held back, and I will destroy anyone in my way.” Staring into Dark’s eyes, I could see the madness taking hold. I don’t think there was any reasoning with him in this state, and if I wanted to survive whatever was coming next, I needed to wake up now.

“I...I don’t know what you want me to say.” I was at a loss for words, but it didn’t matter. Dark wasn’t listening to what I was saying anymore. Not truly anyway. 

Dark opened his mouth, and then his expression changed. It went from enraged to confused, with him cocking his head as though he was listening to something. I looked around and caught Bri’s eyes. She looked just as confused as Dark. She shook her head at me and shrugged. 

There was tension as we waited for Dark’s next move, and then the world started to shake. I stumbled as I tried to keep my balance on the moving ground. 

“NO!” The rage in Dark’s voice had me jerking my head in his direction. He looked furious, and I could see multiples of him all shouting almost a few seconds behind. “You can’t chase me out as though I’m a mongrel stealing a scrap of food. HE IS MINE!”

Swirls of darkness thicker and darker than I thought black could ever get started reaching out for me. I turned and ran, not entirely sure where I was going to run to get away. I didn’t make it very far before multiple strands of the darkness shot out and wrapped around my entire body. I screamed out, fear and panic making me struggle. I was being dragged back to Dark, the last thing I wanted.

A bright light started shining in the distance and getting closer every second. It burned away the darkness as it rushed towards us. I had no clue what this was, but if it helped me escape, then it must be good. Right? I heard Dark scream in pain and anger as that light washed over me in a wave of heat.

I shot up, a scream bursting out of my throat. The first thing I saw was Matt’s concerned face staring at me from a chair at the foot of my bed. I was breathing heavily, trying to get my bearings from that nightmare, when Matt started talking. Except it didn’t sound like he was talking to me. 

“Is he going to be okay?” Matt asked.

A sigh to my left had me jerking in surprise. I hadn’t expected anyone else to be in the room with us. The lights in the room were on and let me see the figure standing next to me. My eyes landed on the green hair and mask first.

“Marvin?” I wasn’t sure what was happening right now. He shouldn’t be here yet. 

Marvin ignored me and answered Matt’s question. “I’m not sure. I cleansed his mind and chased Dark out, but his aura is still darker than it should be. I don’t know if it’s because of the connection between the two of them. I’d have ta run a few tests, but we don’t have the time right now.” His crystal blue eyes met mine with a frown.

“Marvin?” I said again. “What are you doing here? You said it would take a few days to get ready.” 

He turned his crystal blue eyes to me, a piteous look on his face. “Mark, ye’ve been asleep fer over a day. Dark had ye trapped in yer dreams. If I hadn’t gotten ye out, ye might have been trapped there forever.”

I looked at Matt with disbelief. He shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t know what to do. I tried everything, and I still couldn’t wake you up. You were quiet most of the time. Then you started screaming for Bri. The little coin started glowing, and I figured that was the only way to help you.” His voice was unsure like I was going to be furious at him for trying to help.

“Thanks, Matt. Dark… He showed me Bri. I think she’s being held prisoner in her mind. She was chained and in a cage. I couldn’t get to her. I tried. I tried so hard. If it wasn’t for you, I think Dark would have kept me just as locked up until they could find us.” I gave Matt a weak smile, trying to reassure him.

He gave me a small smile in return before looking at Marvin. “What do we do now?”

Marvin grimaced and rubbed his hands together. “Now, we get ta work.”


	9. Please don't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Well, hey there, Antsy-Pantsy! Lost them, huh? Oh, that's a shame there." Somehow, Wilford is now in the tv. I don’t think this guy can surprise any more than he already has. He walks over and rests his arm over Anti's shoulder, messing with his hair. "If you want, I can take over and look for them myself. I've pretty keen senses when it comes to looking for people. If I can find dear ol' Abey then I can find anyone with enough time and bubble gum."
> 
> “Antsy-Pantsy?” Anti growls out before ducking out from under Wilford’s arm. “Why didn’t ye tell me the idiot was joinin the party? A head’s up would have been nice, Dark.” He steps as far from Wilford as he can while staying in view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. Hope you're enjoying the story so far. Things are getting intense and I can't wait for you to see what's in store for everyone involved. If you like it, love it, or hate it, please feel free to leave a comment. I love hearing what people think about it. Hope everyone is doing well. Stay safe out there.

“It’s not going to work.” I hiss as I pull against the chains keeping me prisoner. “Whatever you’ve got planned.” I watch the tall tv screen in my mind and continue to struggle against the bonds that Dark has me in. 

Dark, still using my body, chuckles as he walks around the Manor. He had brought us here after talking to Madpat, rummaging through various research books that made no sense to me. “I think it already has. All I’m missing are the main guests, and Anti will take care of that problem soon enough.” He takes a thin, black book out of the bookcase and walks over to a chair in front of an unlit fireplace.

I don’t understand how he did it, but he manages to sit down in a way that I could never pull off. He makes my body move with such sinuous grace that I feel like he floats into the seat rather than just sits down. “I don’t care what I have to do, but I’m going to make sure you fail.”

He opens the book, flipping through the pages. “What are you going to do? You’re trapped in your own mind, and there’s nobody to help you. You may have held out longer than I imagined, but you still failed. Caged in the corner of your mind. How are you going to stop me when you can’t even help yourself?” He says. He sounds almost bored as he continues flipping through pages.

That makes me pause. He’s right, of course. If I can’t even kick him out of my body, how am I going to stop him at all? I stand up and lean forward as much as possible. The chains are too short for me to reach my cage, even with my foot. That isn’t why I’m leaning forward, though. I want Dark to be able to hear me as clearly as possible. 

I look at the screen and see Dark reading a page that has strange symbols on it. The words are in a peculiar language, and parts of the page have an image of a machine. He seems to be so focused on it that I open my mouth and scream as loud and as long as I can.

The first scream seems to startle Dark. He jumps, and the book he was holding leaps into the air. He catches it and starts looking for his page again as I take another deep breath and scream again. He didn’t jump this time, “Will you stop that infernal racket! I can’t think with you screaming like a banshee.” 

I scream again, just as long and loud. He tries to shut me out, but I make sure that my screams are never the same. I throw insults at him in between screams just to spice things up. He finally throws his hands up in the air, and I find myself staring him down. He walks to my cage, and it parts for him like water for Moana. He stands just far enough out of reach.

“What do you expect from this little tantrum? Things will only get worse for you if you continue to act on these petty moments.” Dark sneers at me.

I am an impulsive person by nature. I also can not pass up a challenge. That’s not a good excuse for what spews out of my mouth next, but it’s the only explanation I have.

“Do you promise?” I think my words caught us both off guard because we just stare at each other. The expression on his face had me laughing, and once I started, I couldn’t stop. He looks so confused and disgusted that I simply can’t help but laugh. If I had known I could throw him off guard this bad, I’d have done this earlier.

Dark’s eyebrows draw together as he grows angry. He walks towards me and wraps a hand around my throat. He squeezes hard enough to cut off my laugh, but not enough that I’m choking. He growls in anger. 

“Oh, harder, daddy.” I would have slapped myself if I could have. My mouth seems to have decided to do its own thing and not converse with my brain on whether a sentence is good or not.

Dark squeezes harder and cuts off all air. “Your childish games end now. I have work to do and can’t be bothered with your insufferable nonsense any longer.” 

A strip of metal wraps around my head and seems to mold itself to my mouth. Dark holds onto my throat a few seconds more, squeezing harder before letting me go. I would have gasped for air but my mouth was sealed shut. I breathe in as much air as I can through my nose, hands rubbing at my neck to ease the pain. I glare at him, and he gives me a chuckle in response.

“There. That’s infinitely better than before. Try not to cause any more problems. You won’t like what I do next.” He’s so condescending that I immediately ki,ck out. If he had been a little slower, I’d have kicked him in the kneecap. What a pity. “I do love our little get-togethers. Hopefully, our next discussion will be a little more civilized.” Dark walks out and the bars conform back to their original form.

I can't get the stupid metal off. I pull at it, rub the chains against it, do everything I can. It’s like it is part of my skin now. I reluctantly give up, for now, and sit down to watch Dark scheme. I need time to figure a way out of here. I watch as Dark once again disappears from my mind.

Watching the screen, I see Dark stand up from the chair and turn to the large tv in the room. A wave of darkness covers it, “Any sign of them?” He must be trying to talk to Anti. That’s the only time I’ve seen them communicate like this. The silence seems to last forever, and Dark eventually loses his patience. “Anti? Anti, answer me. Anti, if you don’t answer me, I’ll assume you have failed and are no longer of any use to me.” I didn’t know my voice could get so low and gravely.

“Don’t get yer knickers in a twist. Ye have no idea how hard it is trying ta find two people in a world filled with electricity. It’s like tryin ta find a needle in a haystack.” Anti’s aggravated voice comes tunneling through the tv. “Quit tryin ta order me around like I’m yer minion. No matter what ye think, yer not the boss of me. Especially with a voice like that.” 

The tv flickers on, and Anti’s face fills the screen. He spots us and gives us an amused grin. “I really think ye should keep this body. The cuteness balances out yer dickish personality.” 

Dark ignores the insult, his mind strictly on business. “Did you find them yet? Madpat needs them. Relatively unhurt if possible.”

Anti crosses his arms in annoyance. “Did ye not hear me? It’s going ta take some time ta find them, especially if they aren’t using anything technological. If ye want ta find them so quickly, then do yer shadowy thing.” l can tell that Anti is becoming more and more aggravated as the conversation goes on.

Dark snorts, “If it were that easy, I would have done it long ago. Something is preventing them from being found.” I have to grin at that. Anything that slows their search down is a win in my book. I jerk the chains around, making them rattle loudly. I am determined to annoy the shit out of Dark one way or another. If I can’t talk, then chain rattling will have to do. 

“Well then shut yer trap and let me work. If ye keep distracting me, then I’ll never find them.” Anti puts his arms down and starts to turn away from the screen. Almost as if he is dismissing Dark.

Dark glared at him before putting our hands behind our back. “If I were you…. I would take care of the tone of voice you use with me before you find yourself back in that prison.”

“Yer threats don’t mean shyte ta me. I got better things ta do than listen to yer yapping.” At that, Anti does turn around, and the tv turns off. 

Dark turns from the tv and starts walking away. I rattle the chains even harder. I could feel Dark roll his eyes and stop walking for a moment. “If you don’t stop making that infernal racket, I’ll make sure you aren’t able to move at all.”

That frightens me enough that I stop. If Dark takes away what little movement I have left, then I may never be able to break free. I give the chains a few more tugs but am otherwise silent. Dark chuckles at the silence and gives a cheeky, “Good girl,” before continuing on his way.

"Oh, Darky, there you are! You know I've been looking everywhere for you, and here you are scheming without me. You didn't even ask me if I wanted to help. You know I would have said yes!" A chipper and slightly off kilter voice comes from behind us. "Lovely body, by the way, I should find someone else's body to borrow."

Dark stops in his tracks at the sound of a new voice. It sounds familiar to me, but I’m not sure why. Turning around, I can see a man that looks like Mark but with bright pink hair and a giant pink mustache. I know this guy. Oh god, this is not a good thing. “If everything goes according to plan, I won’t need it much longer. By the way, Wilford, how did you find out I was planning anything?” Dark has an amused smile on his face as he talks to Wilford Warfstache.

"Oh, I heard the last bit of conversation before my portal opened. Let me join in on the fun a little bit, Darky-poo! I haven't stabbed anyone or used my shooty in so long, and I'm hankering for some excitement!" Wilford is sitting on the tv perfectly balanced and swaying his legs, swinging his gun around his finger

I struggle against my chains with renewed effort. I have to get out of here because the sight of this psychopath is horrible news. Dark puts our hands behind our back and stands a tad taller. Not that it matters because my body is still four inches shorter. Dark pauses before answering Wilford, “About that. This requires a certain…. Elegant touch. I’m not certain if you could handle this kind of situation without killing someone, and that’s the last thing I need.”

"Oh, alright, you're driving a hard bargain here." He seems to think for only a second before throwing his hands up, chucking the gun in the air and having it land on the ground, causing it to fire and the bullet to just barely miss our head. That psycho doesn’t seem the slightest bit concerned that we were almost shot. "Alright, fine! I won't kill anybody, as long as I get to spend time with my Dear Darky, I'm as happy as a dog." He lands a peck on Dark's cheek.

Dark swats a hand at Wilford’s face, trying to get the man away from him, more concerned about the kisses than the nearly fatal bullet. “Wilford. What have I told you about kissing me?” He steps back out of reach, taking a deep breath. I knew Wilford was crazy, but Mark’s videos did not do the guy any justice. “You may come along for now. If things don’t go the way I need them to, your particular abilities just might come in handy.”

"Oh, see, you know how to keep me tickled pink, you devil, you!" He chuckles and pulls another gun out of nowhere and shines it before aiming it at Dark and pulling the trigger, except this time, a flag pops, saying "Bang!"

Dark doesn’t even flinch. I, on the other hand, am having a mild panic attack. This guy is going to kill me, and Dark isn’t the least bit concerned. I shake the chains as loud as I can and scream into the metal band across my mouth. This dumbass better get me away from this pink lunatic before I have heart failure. He ignores me, so I try hitting the chains against the floor as hard and loud as possible. Dark stumbles a bit. “Bri, you are starting to become an irritating presence. The next time I tell you to stop, you’ll be unable to move.”

I scream as loud as I can against the metal band. It muffles the noise a great deal, but I need to get Dark’s attention, and since he’s preventing me from talking, this is all I have in my arsenal. I scream until I’m hoarse, but Dark never acknowledges the noise. I struggle against my prison and hear a creaking noise in the chains. That surprises me and I stop. Looking at the chains, I can see that a link on one of them has stretched out a slight bit. It gives me a small bit of hope that maybe I’m not lost after all.

"Oh, Is that what the rattling sound is? I thought it was your brain rattling around. He's right. That’s a very grating sound, Bri. Even for me!" Wilford leans back on his hands, looking at us as though he can see me. I’m a little startled that he can even hear me. "You're very kind to let Dark use your body for a while. Maybe when he's done with you, I could borrow your body too? Please?"

Is…. is this guy serious? It’s not as if I invited Dark over for some tea and possession. My eyes widen as I shout out, trying to get my point across. The clanking of the chains grows softer as I grow tired. “Hmm. It would seem that Bri is opposed to that idea. She can’t exactly speak at the moment, so I could be wrong.” Dark is very much amused by my plight and has a wry smile across our faces.

"Oh, I'll hold you to it! So what is it I get to do, hm? I gotta know my job, hostage situation? Blackmail? Oh, let it be something good!” He sounds gleeful as he claps his hands together before playing with his gun that suddenly materializes in his hand. 

I sit down with my head in my hands, but Dark’s voice draws my attention back to the screen. “It will depend on how things go. At this moment, Anti is hunting down Mark and Matthew. Once he finds them, the next stage of my plan can be put into motion. I’m sure you’ll have plenty to do once they are found.”

"Oh goody! This will be so much fun! Do I get to play with Mark a little? He's fun to toy with, and don't worry, your little dark eyeliner either, I won't kill him. He might be bruised, but he won't be dead." Wilford is way too happy about this plan. He tosses the gun up and catches it, nearly dropping it again.

The tv roars to life in white static noise, interrupting whatever Dark is about to say. Anti’s face fills the tv for a moment before he takes a step back. One of Dark’s hands drags down his face as he takes a deep breath. He turns toward the tv, his voice lower as he addresses the glitch. “I’ll assume you’ve found them?”

“I managed ta track them ta a park but something happened after they got there. Something is preventing me from tracking them further. I have a feeling they’re getting help from someone with power.” Anti slams his fist down, and the entire view seems to shake. Once the screen stops shaking, he snarls, his eyes dripping a black tar-like substance. “I am so sick of this shyte!”

"Well, hey there, Antsy-Pantsy! Lost them, huh? Oh, that's a shame there." Somehow, Wilford is now in the tv. I don’t think this guy can surprise any more than he already has. He walks over and rests his arm over Anti's shoulder, messing with his hair. "If you want, I can take over and look for them myself. I've pretty keen senses when it comes to looking for people. If I can find dear ol' Abey then I can find anyone with enough time and bubble gum."

“Antsy-Pantsy?” Anti growls out before ducking out from under Wilford’s arm. “Why didn’t ye tell me the idiot was joinin the party? A head’s up would have been nice, Dark.” He steps as far from Wilford as he can while staying in view. 

Dark sighs again, watching Anti fix his hair aggressively. “This was as much a surprise to me. I think Wilford will come in hand. Especially if you can’t seem to track them anymore. This smells like magic, and Wilford’s… talents, might be just the thing needed.”

"See? I'm handy! That's why my middle name is handy-mandy macho. Or wait, that was my nickname. Because I give good-" A censor beeping sound comes from nowhere as Wilford starts to speak vulgarly. "I was popular that year with all the guys, they all lined up for-" More censor sounds. "Gave him the hardest-" Even more censoring, this went on for a while. 

"And that's how I became class president." He smiles proudly and crosses his arms. "So I'll gladly help!"

Dark places a hand over his face, mumbling into it too low for anyone else to hear. “I’m surrounded by idiots.” I’d like to agree with that statement, but I still can’t speak, unfortunately.

Anti gives Wilford an incredulous look of disbelief. Even I was a little taken aback at this derailing. I was all for stalling, but… this was something else entirely. Wilford seemed to be on the verge of a kind of crazy that needs heavy medication. This man needs to be locked up in an asylum. Though I’m not sure if there is an asylum that exists that can hold him.

“I’ll give it another go. See if I can’t minimize the area a bit. They’ll have ta settle down somewhere soon cause the sun is going down, and they know ye’ll be looking for them. Hopefully, they’ll slip up, and I can get something.” Anti slowly walks behind Wilford wearily as he talks. The moment he is done he pushes Wilford out of the tv and immediately leaves. 

I start laughing. Magic is involved. I may not know all the egos out there but I know Sean and Mark’s pretty good. There is only one ego I know that uses magic, and that is Marvin. Marvin is protecting Mark and Matt. I continue to laugh until my ribs hurt, and I have tears running down my face.

Wilford grunts as he falls out of the tv screen, stands and then starts fiddling with his gun again. "Whatcha laughing about, Bri? I wanna know the joke." He tilts his head.

I’m still laughing like a madman. I wouldn’t have been able to answer Wilford even if I’d been able to. Dark growls for a moment before the sound cuts off abruptly. He smiles, and I’m almost glad that we aren’t standing next to a mirror. I can feel the way my face contorts into such a dark and malicious grin. I don’t need to see it. It scared me. That smile means that Dark is about to do something that I’m absolutely going to hate.

He turns towards Wilford and nods his head. “Sorry, Wilford. Something has come up that I absolutely must deal with. I do not know when I shall return. As always, you may come and go as you please. All I ask is that you don’t break anything important while I’m away.”

Without waiting for a response, Dark walks into the thickness of the shadows. I shiver, not out of cold, but out of fear of what was about to happen. I doubt this new event is going to be pleasant and I’m not looking forward to it.

The first thing I notice is the doorway. It’s Mark’s kitchen doorway, and I can hear his voice coming through it. His voice sounds a little muffled, but it’s still happy. He has a giant smile on his face and a couple of drinks in his hands when he appears in the doorway. I strain forward, trying to scream at him to run, but this insufferable metal prevents it. The color drains from Mark’s face, drinks all but forgotten as he starts running towards me.

I struggle against the restraints as Mark screams my name and runs towards me. When he gets to the bars of my cage, we reach for each other. Neither of us can reach, so I stop trying. Instead, I desperately focus my attention back on the chains that hold me back. I pull on the side with the weakened link and manage to snap it. The chain snaps in the middle leaving the cuff and part of the chain dangling from my wrist. Joy sweeps through me at my small victory, and I begin pulling on the other side, hoping to break free. 

The chain refuses to budge as I pull on it making me give up in frustration. I look back at Mark and reach for him with my now free hand. Emotions are high as we focus on trying to touch each other’s hands, both of us crying freely. He is shouting out promises that I really didn’t think he could keep. It’s more like words of comfort for himself. I’d just managed to brush my fingertips against Mark’s when Dark came out from his hidey hole behind us. 

I didn’t know you could make hand clapping sound sarcastic, but Dark manages it with ease. Mark turns and glares at Dark, his back stiffening up as the demon walks closer. “What a touching reunion. Best friends reunited again.” The condescension is thick in Dark’s voice as he comes to a stop a few feet away.

Mark faces off against Dark, hands crossed against his chest. Mark has his back to me, but the tone of his voice lets me know he is angry. “Let her go, Dark. It’s me you want. Let her go, and I’ll do whatever you want.”

Dark stands there and stares at my friend as though he is really contemplating it. A smirk appears before he laughs and walks closer to Mark. “As tempting as that sounds, I think I’ll decline the offer. Seeing you in this much pain is much more amusing.”

“Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?!” 

“Why?” Dark’s face contorts with rage, red and blue echoes of him shouting in his anger, slightly out of sync. “You want to know why I’m doing this? You promised you’d let me in! I waited patiently, but nothing happened! You shut me out, cast me away. Well, I’m tired of giving people a choice!”

“I didn’t start this Dark. I thought you were a dream when I said that. I...I didn’t know that you really existed until later on. How was I supposed to know that some character my fans created was real? I didn’t know! I refuse to accept the blame for something I never did to you. I didn’t do anything to any of you except make a few videos!”

That makes me pause. They are talking about something that goes completely over my head. All I know is that Dark is growing furious, and I’m starting to feel that white hot rage. The darkness surrounding us seems to pulse with anger, and his auras are continually screaming. Constantly moving. I’m not sure if Dark is losing control or if it’s his rage, but our connection is becoming stronger than I liked.

“If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t be like this. WE wouldn’t be like this! You are the reason we are in this accursed state of existence. I am tired of living in your shadow. I am tired of being trapped in a world that caters to the whims of others. I will no longer be held back, and I will destroy anyone in my way.” 

“I...I don’t know what you want me to say.” Mark’s shoulders slump down. I so desperately want to hug him. Say that it isn’t his fault, that none of this is his fault.

It looks like Dark is about to say something, but he cocks his head and looks confused. I look around to see what might have changed, but nothing is different. Mark and I lock eyes, confusion on his face too. I shrug and shake my head, trying to tell him that I have no idea what's happening. The tension is unbearable as we wait for Dark’s next move.

The entire place starts to shake, making me lose balance and fall. Dark screams out at some unseen force. “NO! You can’t chase me out as though I’m a mongrel stealing a scrap of food. HE IS MINE!”

The darkness seems to rise up in revolt of whatever is happening. Mark looks at me with pity for a brief moment before he makes a mad dash past me. He barely gets past my prison before he’s attacked by tendrils that latch on to him. Tendrils that start to drag him back to a very furious Dark. Mark’s screams of terror have me struggling to break the last chain, preventing me from helping him.

Something amazing happens. The brightest light I’ve ever seen washes through the place, chasing away Dark’s shadows. The light sears through me as though I had jumped into a fire after being frozen. I scream in pain and hear an echo farther away. Everything is white searing light as Dark whisks us away in a desperate attempt to escape the pain.  
My body still feels like it’s on fire when Dark brings us back to the manor. He drops us into a chair and groans. He lays his head back in the chair, not moving. Whatever had caused that light to appear had seriously hurt both of us. It damaged his control over me. I can feel the metal band around my mouth loosening, and I yank it off.

“Dark? Dark, listen to me. Whatever you have planned won't work out well for either of us. You’re hurting both of us. Can’t you feel it? I can feel your pain. I can feel your rage. Dark, you’re going to get us both killed.” I don’t rage at him for keeping me locked up in a small corner of my own mind. I’m just trying to reason with him calmly. Maybe appeal to his logical side.

He gives off a small sigh, “You and I are connected in a way that I never expected to happen. Just as you can feel my anger, I can feel your sorrow. A side effect that never should have occurred. Bri, you may never understand why I need to do this, but you will not be able to stop what is happening. Our time is coming.”

“Are you going to kill Mark?”

“It would defeat the entire purpose of Anti bringing him here alive if I kill him the moment he gets here.” Dark scoffs.

“What about after? Are you going to kill him then?” I am afraid to hear his response, but it’s something I need to know.

“That depends entirely on what happens. He may make it out of this alive, or he might die in the process. I can not see the future.”  
,  
“Oh,” I whisper. Not exactly the response I was hoping to hear, but better than the answer I feared.

Dark sits up in the chair slowly. “You knew Marvin was helping them, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Marvin is the only one I know that might be powerful enough to hide the guys from you. I...don’t know much about all of this so I wasn’t sure if I was right.” Sitting down, I shrug.

“It appears you were correct. I always seem to underestimate you, Bri.” He groans as he shifts, trying to get into a comfortable position.

“You wouldn’t be the first.... I’m hoping you’re not the last.”

“I do not know the outcome of our little adventure. I am not a seer. If all goes as planned, then you shall be free to live your life out. You are simply a means to an end.”

“Oh.” There’s not much I can say after that. It isn’t exactly thrilling to hear that I’m just being used as a Taxi.


End file.
